Chemicals React
by Imissthem
Summary: Sometimes the darkest of monsters we face are the ones we create ourselves. And in this darkness we wonder, where did the light go? See rest of summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

Chemicals React

Summary: Sometimes the darkest of monsters we face are the ones we create ourselves. And in this darkness we wonder, where did the light go? Am I blind or did it go out? Before we know it, we become this darkness. But the good thing about the darkness is that there is always room for light, for hope. In my darkness my light is you.

Author's note: I was drastically upset when Kimberly left MMPR. I have not watched an episode after Tommy got that god forsaken letter. In my universe the letter never happened. I haven't watched the series in a very long time, so forgive me if some things don't add up. I'll try to keep it as accurate as I can.

Author's note 2: A certain video on youtube inspired me to write this story. It made me really miss Tommy/Kim (the very first couple I fell in love with). I don't know if we are allowed to post links on here so I won't, but it was a very good one! Feedback is greatly appreciated. I am planning to do a fully developed story with a couple chapters, hope it works out. This is my first attempt at a fic so... (I hope it doesn't show lol)

Authors note 3: Thoughts are italized.

Timeline: This story takes place 2 months after "White Light", but for my AU they have the gadgets and dress like its 2010 lol (makes it all the more interesting, don't you think?). The rangers are all 17-18 years old.

Rated: MA

Here goes..

"Tommy…."

Kimberly felt flames licking at her skin, inside her skin, and deep within her body. His mouth against her neck was sweet sweet torture, and she wanted so much more. Ever since he came back into her life, she vowed to herself to never let him slip away again. Nothing, not Zedd nor Rita nor any other force in this damn universe or the next would take him away from her again. He had been gone for too long. Needing to clear his head and deal with issues that came with loosing ones powers, fate had led him away from her, causing a brief pause in their blooming relationship. She felt so empty when he left. It was truly shocking to her how much she missed him, how important he had become to her in such a short period of time. They had only been dating a couple weeks before he went away, before he lost his powers. And yet, it felt like they had always known each other, like they've always been together. In those short weeks they barely spent any time away from each other. With Lord Zedd's attacks, school, gymnastics with him across the room teaching martial arts, and late night phone calls, the only time they spent apart was when they were sleeping. And even then….

"Hmmm Kim, I've waited so long to hold you like this, to touch you like this…"

Tommy retreat from her neck to fasten his mouth on hers. God she tasted so good. Every time he kissed her it felt like the first time; the rush through his body, his heart racing a mile a minute, the sweet sense of euphoria that washes over him. Her lips were heaven, and what she was doing with her tongue right now...

_Oh have mercy…_

He just hoped he could last long enough. He had wanted this moment with her for oh so long. The moment where he could mark her as his own yet again, the moment where he was standing between her parted legs, her skirt bunched high up to her waist, her hands roaming all over his body, and her making those sweet little noises only for him. Oh yes, this was the moment he had been waiting for. He didn't think he could make it through a whole day without his beautiful ever again. He had missed her to the point of insanity, but he couldn't come back. He couldn't face them without feeling powerless, without feeling like he had failed them, failed her. But all was right in the world now. He had gained new powers, he was back on the team, the woman he was madly in love with declared her love for him right after he was man enough to do so himself. They had taken the other step in their relationship on the night of their school's Winter Formal. It had been heaven, and every time after that never disappointed. And now here they were again, clinging desperately to each other as neither could get enough. Hell yes! All was right in the world.

Kimberly pulled away ever so slightly to stare into the eyes of the man she loved. What were they doing? They were both teenagers with so much more responsibilities than most adults, and here they were, in his mother's laundry room about to undress and finally share the intimacy they had both missed due their recently busy life (as if it wasn't already busy enough). Now she was really staring at him, she made a thorough once over to commit every detail of his face to memory: the furrow between his brow, the chiseled set of his jaw and God those luscious lips, which were now forming a slight smirk.

"Kim, you're making me blush…"

She was enchanted by him, "Its your own fault. Why do you have to be so damn sexy?"

He chuckled. "I bet you say that to all the boys."

She stared at his sexy mouth. "Just the ones I'm in love with." And with that, she pulled him down to her and they resumed their play.

Hands roamed, a pink blouse tossed here, and a white shirt tossed there, until…

_**My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like its better than yours, damn right its better than yours…**_

Tommy let out a grunt in frustration and pulled away to rest his forehead against Kimberly's. "You know, I reaallllyyyy hate that ringtone."

"And that's the only reason I keep it," she said with a giggle.

That sweet little giggle of hers always made his cock jump. "Do you have to get that?" he whimpered, pressing his lips along her cheek. He was so at home right where he was, damn whoever was calling.

"Give me two secs to blow off who over it is k?"

"Fine…." _Why did she have her phone in the laundry room anyway?_

Kimberly jumped down from on top of the dryer where Tommy had her perched and rumbled through her pocket for her phone.

_Great. Just what I needed. _ Kimberly wished she had left her phone in her purse.

"Hey mom"

"Kimberly, where are you?"

"I'm by the Olivers…" Kimberly tried to keep her voice at a neutral tone, as somebody was running their tongue from her shoulder up to her neck. "Is everything ok?"

"Umm…" Caroline knew how much her daughter adored Tommy, and she knew that Tommy felt the same for her. It was all over his face when he looked at her. Caroline sighed inwardly. She remembered the days when a man looked her like that, she remembered what it felt like to be loved. "I'm sorry darling, but do you think you could come home? I have something very important to talk to you about."

"Does it have to be now mom? " Tommy came around her from behind and looked at her with concern. She loved that about him. He was always concerned about her, always putting her first. "Everything's fine," she mouthed to him reassuringly. He smiled.

"I'm sorry hon, but yes. If its not too late, you can head back over there whenever we get done talking."

Knowing her mom, she knew she wouldn't be seeing Tommy until tomorrow. "Ok mom. I'm on my way."

"Thanks dear. See you soon."

"Lemme guess…" Tommy said while hugging her.

"I know. She said she needed to talk to me. I'm so sorry, I know how much you…."

"Hey, look at me," Tommy interrupted her and brought her head up so she could look at him. "I love you, and will wait forever for you if I have to. Don't apologize for it ok?"

"What did I do to deserve you?" she inquired with such love in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Tommy was amazed by the fact that someone so perfect could love him. His own parents gave him up at birth to grow up with a family they had no idea of whether they were capable of loving anyone. He lucked out on the couple who chose to adopt him, and he definitely lucked out on the girl who chose to love him. "I think I'm the one who should be asking that question," he said as he lowered his mouth to brush a short but sweet kiss over her lips. "Now run home before I change my mind and make you my prisoner for the rest of the weekend."

"I think I kinda want you to..." Kim trailed soft kisses on his neck. She heard a muffled roar inside him, and boy did it turn her on. She loved how she was the only one who made him lose his always present composure. Him being the leader and all, he was always so in control. Except when it came to her.

"You're playing with fire beautiful." He managed to get out.

"And that's a bad thing?"

"A very, very bad thing" he breathed…

"Well then," she kissed him once more on the neck, "since I'm being bad," she ground herself against him almost causing his knees to buckle, "I think you owe me a slight punishment," She stood on her toes and kissed his fore head, then stepped away from him, grabbed her shirt and was out the door, but not before turning around to blow him a kiss.

Tommy stood there staring at the spot at the door where she just disappeared, breathing hard with his body way too tight.

"I swear," He swallowed hard, "she's gonna kill me."

His mother would have to finish laundry when she came home from work.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

It took all of her will power to pull out of the driveway. They were so close, closer than they've gotten in a while. Kimberly made a mental note to add her mother to the list of people who kept interrupting her rare moments with Tommy. What a cruel universe! Had Zordon and his constant please-report-to-the-command-center-immediately not been enough? Not to mention Aisha's last minute fashion emergencies. There was one time and one time only Kim would ever turn down a trip to the mall, and that one time is when she is buried deep in Tommy's arms. This time it was her mother that pried her from her haven. Damn, what couldn't wait until she was home later?

The short distance home was covered in minutes, though she knew her mom would make every excuse for her to stay in tonight. Caroline adored Tommy, but when she got into the "we need to talk" mood they would be up talking all night. These moments were rare with Caroline. Ever since her parents got divorced Caroline retreated from the world and mostly kept to herself. The bubbling personality (which Kimberly clearly inherited) had faded away to reveal a very indifferent Caroline. Despite this, she has never failed Kimberly as a mother. Kimberly and her mother had a wonderful relationship; she just wished Caroline had chosen a better time for a one to one.

"Mom, I'm home! Where are you?"

"Right here loud mouth, you don't need to shout."

Her mouth was not loud, but she'd save that banter for later. Caroline was sitting with the lights dim on the far end of the beige sectional which sat to the back of the living room. She kept running her hands down her thighs to her knees and back up again. What had her so anxious?

"You ok mom?"

"I'm fine honey," she patted the seat beside her. "Sit."

Sit. Not a request but a command. Ok, what did she do? Kimberly did as she was told, but kept a good amount of space between them just in case her mom started yelling.

"Well let me just dive into this..."

_Please do…_ but Kim thought it best not to say it out loud.

"I know I haven't been quite myself since your father left, and I am truly sorry if I had neglected you in anyway."

So this was not about her, good. Wait, not good. Neglected her? "Mom…."

"Please Kimberly let me finish..."

Kimberly closed her loud mouth.

"When your father left I was heartbroken. I never saw it coming. It was like one day we were happily married and the next day he's out the door, and the day after that he's in Rome with some bombshell. For weeks I tried to figure out what I did, where I went wrong! Did I gain too much weight? Is it because I cut my hair? Did I nag too much? Was it something I did or...or...or said?"

"Oh mom…"

"Kimberly you have no idea how it feels to have your husband, someone who you invested your entire life in just walk out the door never to return. When I say I was heartbroken or that I was hurt, that's like calling a Pit Bull a pooch. It doesn't even begin to describe… there are no words….no words Kimberly…."

Caroline swore she would never shed another tear over this again. That she would push all those monsters and their roaring ugly heads deep within her never to be seen again. But doing so just leaves her numb, and she owes her daughter more than that. She has to deal with this, to share it with Kimberly and get pass it and start to heal.

Caroline was right. Kimberly truly had no idea what that kind of hurt was, and was flabbergasted to learn her mother was hurting so much! She knew Caroline and been heartbroken, but it completely escaped her how deep the wounds were that her father inflicted. A pure and strong hate bubbled and raged inside Kimberly.

"But that was only phase one…" Caroline said after she began to sober from her sobbing.

_Oh God..._

"After the hurt came hate. I started to tell myself that I didn't care that he was gone, that he can do whatever he wants and ….and so could I. I umm...started drinking, and smoking."

_What has he done!_ "I'm so sorry mom, I had no idea!" Kimberly started her own sobbing. Where was she when all this was going on? Had she been that oblivious? Her mother needed her and she wasn't there. She was out saving the whole world except her own mother.

Caroline looked straight ahead as she relived the horrors. She kept talking. She had to get it all out. "You remember that Sunday morning you went to Tommy's family reunion?'

Just one slight nod, that's all Kimberly could achieve.

"That afternoon I was cleaning the mirror in my bathroom and I saw my reflection. I'm sure to you I look exactly the same as I always do, but I didn't recognize myself. I tossed the towel, got online and search for the closest AA meeting, and was sitting in a meeting that evening. I went for about two weeks before the therapist referred me to a psychologist. There, she diagnosed me as clinically depressed."

Silence.

Caroline reached into her purse that was sitting at the foot of the couch. "She gave me these. Happy pills," she chuckled as she handed the bottle to Kimberly.

Kimberly just stared at it. For the longest moment that's all she could do. She felt the tears coming again accompanied by a devastating and overwhelming guilt. "I should have been there." It barely escaped her lips as a whisper.

"Kimberly darling I'm not telling you all this to make you feel guilty."

"But its true mom, I wasn't there for you in a time you needed me most! I should have stayed around more, should have known something was wrong…"

"I would have just pushed you away just like I did everyone else!"

"Mom…"

"Kimberly Ann Hart you listen to me! None of this is your fault and don't you dare blame yourself. You were there for me as much as I needed you, the rest I had to do on my own. I do not under any circumstance resent you or blame you for any of this so stop it right this minute, do you hear me?"

"Yes mother."

Caroline sighed. "Darling I do not claim that I handled to situation well, but I had to grieve. I had to go through it, and no amount of babying would have helped. I'm healing; telling you was the last nail in the coffin. I'm moving on now."

"I just wish I had known."

"So you could stay home and nurse me? Kimberly you are young and have a great life out there. I wasn't going to let you stay here feeling sorry for me. Plus, like I said, I had to do it on my own. I know you would have been there had I let you."

"I love you mom"

"Oh I love you too honey."

Kimberly hugged her mom like she just came back from the dead. They embrace for much more than a moment until Caroline pulled away.

"I'm sorry I had to tear you away from your friends, but I had to get it out right away or I may have changed my mind."

"I'm glad you called, and that you finally decided to tell me."

Caroline smiled. "Don't keep Tommy waiting."

Kimberly thought about that for a second. But what was there to think about? Her mother needed her, end of story. "Actually mom, I'd like to stay here and keep talking to you."

"Kimberly..." the warning in her voice did not go unnoticed.

"I'm serious Mom. Don't you wanna know how I felt when Dad left?"

Caroline gave her undivided attention to her daughter.

* * *

"Go long son, GO LOOONNGGG!"

"How much longer than this do you want me to go?"

"Just longer man."

Thomas through the ball across the back yard to Tommy, but it landed about four feet in front of him.

"Alligator hands."

"What? You were the one yelling go looonnngg."

"Yes but you went too long."

"Now now boys, play nicely."

"Mom did you see that?"

Jan smiled at the sight of her husband and son tossing the football in the back yard. This was what she had been dreaming of seeing the moment she and Thomas decided to adopt. After a year of trying to conceive with nothing but failure, Tommy had been a blessing to them and the rest of their family. She knew from the first moment she looked at him that he would be their son, and Tommy grew up to exceed any and every expectations they had of him. There was not one thing she would change about him. He was perfect; he was her son.

"Its all that hair in your face that's keeping you from seeing the ball. Pull it back why don't ya?"

"Ok, but if I miss the next catch, we know for sure that I'm not the problem here."

"Well its not you entirely, just your short hands."

Tommy knew there was no winning with his father. When it came to football, Thomas was right and always right. But he loved him all the same. He couldn't ask for better parents, or better grandparents for that matter. Grandpa Oliver was very close to Tommy's heart; he was like a second father. While Thomas never got into Martial Arts, Grandpa Oliver made it his duty to teach Tommy everything he knows, and he was proud to have lived up to his grandfathers expectations where Karate was concerned. There were only a few things Tommy was sure he mastered in this world and karate was one of them. That and wielding a white saber.

"Earth to Tommy, are you daydreaming about Kimberly again?"

_No, but now that dad mentioned it…_

"Well if he wasn't he's going to now that you mentioned it," Jan said with a laugh from the back porch.

"You both think I'm really sappy don't ya?"

"Only when it comes to Kimberly dear," Jan couldn't help but to tease.

"I swear Jan, do you see how he gets all giggly when she comes around?"

"Yea, that girl has him wrapped around her little fingers."

"I agree, but from the looks of it she's all wrapped up too, she lights up every time she sees the boy."

"You both realize I'm standing right here right?" Tommy used his best exacerbated voice.

"Ah Jan look at him, he's getting all red!"

"Haha yea, like the time he walk in on…"

"OK! I think I've had enough for one day." Tommy began to walk towards the house. He refuse to stand there and listen to them talk about… Geez. That's an image wished he could scrub from his mind.

"Hold on a second son. I need to talk to you about the cabin."

Tommy took a seat at his mother feet on the steps. "I'm not finished yet dad. There's still some minor work left on the roof. I should be done with it in a week or two."

"Good, cause your grandpa is planning on staying up there next month."

"He's coming back to Angel Grove so soon? That's great! But why doesn't he just stay with us?"

"The same reason he got the cabin in the first place," Jan added, "Pops likes his own space."

"I don't need you knuckle heads taking care of me!" Thomas never mastered his father's crusty voice, but he got the point across.

Tommy thought about that for a second. As of late Pops has been traveling a lot. He was in Angel Grove just three months ago for the family reunion and now he's heading back in a month. It was really strange. Tommy spent a lot of time with his grandfather when they lived in Arizona. He basically grew up on that farm. Well, back then it was a farm, now it's a gold mine. Shortly before the big move to Angel Grove, Pops saw something really strange in the ground when they were trying to install deep irrigation pipes. Who would have thought it was gold? What are the chances of that? To say Pops was a wealthy man was an understatement. Tommy had him to thank for the Range Rover sitting in the driveway. But the riches never influenced the man lifestyle. Every since Grandma Oliver died Pops stuck to the farm and Arizona, and he absolutely loved it. Why all the traveling all of a sudden? From Greece, to Paris, Brazil, and Egypt then back to the States. Tommy would have to inquire about that when his grandfather returned from Egypt.

"Well like I said, it shouldn't be but two more weeks. The earthquake didn't do as much damage as we first thought, so it should be 100% by the time Pops comes around."

"Good. Thanks son. I know he's paying you a great deal to fix it up for him."

He was, but that's not the main reason why Tommy did it. He loved his grandfather; this was the least he could do for him.

"Well I'm heading upstairs to take a shower and a nap. Wake me for dinner mom?"

"You got it!"

Thomas took the seat the Tommy abandoned next to his wife's feet.

"Did you imagine that we would one day be sitting on our back porch talking to our 18 year old son?"

"No I didn't," Thomas replied with a smile, and then he looked up at his wife, "but I sure hoped."

**AFTER DINNER**

_**All I need in this life of sin is me and my girlfriend, me and my girlfriend…**_

A big smile spread across Tommy's face. _Kimberly…_

Tommy reached over from his bed to the phone sitting on his bedside table next to a picture of him and Kimberly at their school's Winter Formal. He took a second to gaze at it. He would never forget that night.

Tommy hit the answer button, "hey you..."

"Hey, sorry I know it's late but I hadn't talk to you all day."

"I'm glad you called. I missed you."

"I missed you to baby, and I would have called sooner, its just that my mom..."

"Yea I got your text last night after you got home. How is she doing?"

"She's doing good actually, it was me who wasn't doing so well. All this happened months ago, but for me it's like it just happened you know? Tommy, I had no idea."

"Its sounds like its really bad..."

Kimberly got into telling Tommy everything. She knew it was very personal, but Tommy was her very best friend. Plus, she knew she could trust him with her life; she trusted him with it every time they battled one of Zedd's monsters.

"Ah man, I'm so sorry Kim."

"She's seems to be ok now, but God Tommy, how did I not notice?"

"Kim, they way Lord Zedd's attacks have been lately, we probably wouldn't have notice if the sun fell from the sky."

"But its my mother!"

"How much time have you had in the last couple of months to watch a movie? Or read a book?"

"Absolutely none. Between being a power ranger, school, cheerleading and gymnastics I barely have time to eat. If you weren't a ranger I probably wouldn't see you at all! All I do when I get home is hop in bed."

"Exactly Kimberly. You were busy and not busy just wasting time. You were out saving the world, being and student and an athlete. All of which your mother is proud of you for, ranger notwithstanding. She wouldn't want it any other way."

"That's what she said."

"I know it must have hurt you baby, but cut yourself some slack ok? You're a ranger, not Bruce Almighty."

"Hahaha…how do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make me laugh when I feel so horrible about myself."

"There's nothing there for you to feel horrible about Kim."

Tommy heard Kimberly release a long sigh, "You always know just what I need and when I need it."

She said the sweetest things, "All in a days work."

"I love you so much."

Tommy heard what she said and all the emotion behind it. It was the way she breathed it; it said so much more to him than just those three words. He closed his eyes to savor it.

"I love you too beautiful, so much you have no idea..."

The silence that followed was almost like a stolen kiss. If she concentrated enough she could feel his lips on her neck, moving lower to her...

"Kim?"

"Mmmm?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"The same thing you are..."

_That's my girl_, "Where am I?"

"My neck, but you're moving now..."

"Where am I going?"

"I don't know, but I wish you would just go already. You're moving so so slow..."

"Tell me where you want me to go..."

"Everywhere…"

_Oh yes…_ This was gonna be a good night, even if it was just over the phone.

**

* * *

**

_Damn that boy is fine…_

Courtney stood at her locker staring at the guy she wished she owned. She didn't understand why he was being so difficult. She was a lead flyer on the cheerleading squad and the most popular girl in school. All that coupled with her long golden hair and killer legs, every guy in school was dying to date her. Every guy except Tommy Oliver.

_How does he make digging through a locker look so sexy?_

Courtney didn't know what a guy like Tommy Oliver saw in that midget of a girlfriend he has. The girl was out right dull, and a little on the fat side. Kimberly Hart was her biggest competition in Angel Grove High. First she became captain of the cheerleaders, then she dug her claws into the guy Courtney was after. She wont have him for long however, not as long as Courtney was alive. But enough of that for now, time to pay the hunk a visit.

She crept up behind him and leaned forward to whisper in his ear from behind, "I just love a guy in white."

Tommy whipped around to face her while trying to put her off. "Courtney, personal space please."

"Mmmmm, and you smell good too…." She winked at him while running her hand up his and down his chest.

"Stop it Courtney. I'm not in the mood for your games today." Tommy hurriedly removed her hands off his chest.

"You know, one of these days you're gonna realize that you're making the biggest mistake of your life turning me down."

"Right, but until then…" Tommy turn away from her, closed his locker and ahead to class.

Courtney, still standing by his locker watch him has he scampered off.

_One of these days Oliver…_

"Impressive, though I think you're losing your touch Court."

Courtney didn't have to turn around to know who owned the annoying voice that was coming from over her shoulder. She turned around to face an annoyed Kimberly. Didn't this girl know about lipstick? And she could really use some highlights.

"Well isn't it my lovely captain. How are you this morning? Oh I just saw Tommy and I gotta tell you those jeans hug him in all the right places."

"I know right? And those big strong arms of his. It feels so good just having them wrapped around you; you know what I'm saying? Oh that's right, you don't."

_Skank._

"Obviously you're blind, so let me lay it out clearly for you," Kimberly looked her straight in the eyes, "Tommy doesn't want you. If he did he would have taken u up on one of your many offers by now. So please do us both a favor and move on."

"You know Kimberly," Courtney started circling Kim, "I heard from a good source that you're tutoring that fine point guard on the basketball team."

"What's your point Courtney?"

"Well, I hear you two are doing way more than algebra in your little sessions."

"Sabotage? Is that your next move in your little game? Try it Courtney. I won't even try to stop you."

"So sure Tommy won't believe it when everyone in school is saying it?"

"Spread your lies, I'm late for history. Catch you on the flip side."

Courtney watched her walk away. She hated to admit it, but the little skank was right. If she was going to do damage, it would have to be with something real. Courtney stamped her foot in frustration. Kimberly's reputation was as clean as a whistle. But she would have Tommy; one way another.

**LUNCH**

"Empty threats girl. Everybody knows Alec is head over heels in love with his girlfriend and that you and Tommy are joined at the hips. No one would believe that mess."

"Yea I know, I just can't stand that girl. Wanting Tommy is one thing, but she's constantly throwing herself at him. It pisses me off!"

Aisha's sympathies with her best friend, "well you could always knock the skank out."

"Yea, then Zordon would take my power coin."

"Point taken."

"Why would Zordon take your power coin?" The girls looked around to see the other four rangers joining them, and as usual, Rocky was being nosey.

"Kim's planning to kill Courtney."

"Aisha!"

"You shouldn't let her get under your skin beautiful, that's exactly what she wants." Tommy said as he took the seat closest to Kimberly.

"Yea plus who would I take to spring formal if you killed her?" Rocky added with a smirk.

They all looked at him like he grew ten horns.

"It's a joke people. Take it easy."

"On to a better subject," Adam chose to interject, "The meet starts at twelve on Saturday, but I still don't know how are we gonna get up to Stone Canon."

"I told you I could drive up there Adam." Tommy reminded him.

"Man I just don't wanna take away from your time. I know you really wanna get the cabin done next week."

"The cabin is only an hour away from the start line Adam. That's not gonna kill me."

"Ok, just let me try to come up with something thing else. If I don't by Wednesday I'll take you up on that offer."

"I say you let Tommy take us. Any excuse to drive the Range."

"Oh no. I'm driving, you're riding." Tommy wouldn't let Rocky drive his car if God came down and told him to.

"Thank goodness. I'd rather pull out of the race than have rocky drive me anywhere."

"You weren't saying that last night when you were riding." Rocky whispered in Aisha's ear.

Aisha's turned a new shade of red which was even impressive to Rocky.

"Oh dear, Aisha I do believe that the color you are presently illuminating is of a new scheme. I presently cannot possibly imagine what Rocco just whispered in your cannula, nor do I wish to discover the details."

"Billy, I hardly understand what you just said. Get as much of that mombo talk out of your system at the science fair this weekend k?" Rocky said as he popped a French fry in his mouth.

"Seems everybody is booked this weekend," Tommy added, "the three of you in the track meet, Kim has gymnastics, Billy at the Science fair and I have to work on the cabin."

"Yea, I hope Zedd takes a vacation." Adam crossed his fingers.

"Do you guys feel like you don't own your life anymore? Like you keep putting off things you really want to do, or that you miss the important things?" Kimberly asked with more bewilderment than inquiry.

Tommy held on to her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze under the table.

"I know what you mean…" Adam said while looking over to the table where Chello was sitting.

"Have you not requested an evening with Chello as yet?" as only Billy would ask.

"No I haven't. I really want to you know, but I'm scared that on our first date I have to teleport out or something and leaving her wondering." Adam turned to look at Tommy and Rocky, "you guys are lucky that your girls are rangers, its hard to properly date a girl when you are on call 24/7."

"Rather hard indeed," Billy added. "When I was in the process of courting Stacy, she was convinced I was consistently blowing her off. It was quite frustrating."

_Rrrriiiiiiiiiinnnnnngggggggg!_

"And there it goes…" Aisha began to gather her books.

Tommy helped Kimberly gather her things. "Meet me at my car after school?"

"Ok I will," Kim kissed him on the cheek, "I'll see you then." She turned and headed to class right behind Adam.

**AFTER SCHOOL**

"In the parking lot?"

Though Kimberly asked, she really didn't care where they were. It had been too long and there were way too many clothes between them. She heard her own whimper as Tommy licked at her neck, then moved to use his teeth tease her lower lip and sank his tongue into her mouth again. Ten minutes ago he was comforting her due to her slightly disturbing statement at lunch, and then they shared one of the most passionate kisses they've ever had. But passion soon turned to lust and a fierce need neither of them could control. Tommy was always a gentleman. He had been so patient with her before they took the first step, and when they did he was so gentle and tender it almost made her cry. But as there sex life progressed he turned into a mad man when his need for her took over, and Kimberly loved every minute of it. He was always so composed and in control, but when it came to her, all his inhibitions melted away to reveal the man who couldn't get enough of her, the man who couldn't resist her, the man who lost all control whenever he was with her. This Tommy only she knew.

He pulled away from her so he could lift her out of her seat and into his lap, "the parking lot, the park, who the hell cares?" Tommy reached down to cup one of her breast in his palm. Kim's breast weren't overly large, but they were enough to full his big palm perfectly, like they were made for him, "why are you wearing a bra?" His thumb caressed her nibble, teasing and tugging beneath her blouse, "don't you ever wear a bra again."

Just as Kimberly was aboutn to let out a moan, Tommy covered her mouth with his and swallowed it. He kissed her like a starving man, drowning in need for her. She was all his. Whatever he wanted he could take from her. She belonged to him and him to her.

_Beep beep beep beep beep beep!_

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Kimberly was just about to rip Tommy's shirt off.

Before Tommy could report to Zordon, a white Chevy Malibu came flying over his car and landed into Lucy Wilson's pickup a few parking spaces over.

Kimberly leaned over to look through the wind shield, "Umm…Tommy? I think I know why Zordon is calling us."

_Huh ohh..._

_

* * *

_

The air was hot and full of moisture. The sky had darkened down to pitch black with tiny patches of deep blue peeping though. The heavy clouds hung low while people drove like mad men trying to beat the down pour.

"Guys, It's definitely gonna rain."

Kimberly's Gym practice was cancelled for that very reason. There was a raging storm predicted for Angel Grove this weekend, but for some reason the meet in Stone Canon wasn't cancelled.

"Girl they won't cancel that thing until they see it pouring. I figure they'll have something else for the racers to do though. They can't possibly tell sixty kids from all over the country to just go home". Aisha would be furious. She spent two weeks preparing for this meet.

"I'm sure they will Aisha, otherwise they better gimme my entry fee back". Rocky was not about to lose his fifty bucks.

"Yea, plus with the week we had, I need to do something on the low key side. Having schoolmates turned into villains is not something I pictured was even possible; let alone fighting them and trying to rescue them at the same time." Adam wish he would never have to do that again. Zedd's latest scheme was to turn their own peers into monsters so the rangers would not destroy them. It had been a long week of battling Enrico, Alec, Courtney, Chello, Stacy and Simone. What Adam found disturbing was the people Zedd chose. They were all tied to the rangers in some way. If Adam didn't know better, he's think that Zedd was spying on them. Now that was a rather disturbing thought.

Tommy couldn't help but agree with Adam. One monster per ranger was quite a battle; a battle that took almost four days to end. The Falcon Zord to quite a beating from Alec, and the crane had gone down on the second day of battle. The Zords were more than able to defeat the monsters, but they had to fight defensively as to not hurt their schoolmates. It had taken the combine minds of all the Rangers, Zordon and Alpha to come up with a plan to reverse the spell that had turned them in the first place.

The only monster turned schoolmate Tommy knew personally was Courtney, but the situation affected him a great deal. He knew what it was like to not have control over himself, to be under a spell so strong it made you hurt the people you loved and cared about. It took almost the whole week, but Tommy was happy that they were finally free. He knew however, the after effects could resonate well into the future. That's why he took pity on Courtney yesterday when she came to him for comfort.

One thing Tommy found puzzling was why his and Kim's "counterpart" swapped targets. Stacy went after Billy due to resentment from their relationship, Chello felt like Adam was leading her on, Enrico had a crush on Aisha where she was never responsive to him, and the same went for Rocky and Simone. But why did Courtney not come after Tommy? Did she the hate she felt for Kim stronger than the obsession for Tommy? And why in the world did Alec come after him?

Kimberly was more than ecstatic that Gym got cancelled. She would finally be able to spend some time alone with Tommy today after waiting for so long. They were about to drop Adam, Rocky and Aisha off at the meet, then head back to his grandfather's cabin until the meet was over to pick them up. That gave them approximately seven uninterrupted (hopefully) hours to just be with alone together; even if he was going to be working on the house. Although, she didn't know what kind of work he could do on the roof in this kind of weather, but she kept that little thought to herself.

"Park over by the Gym Tommy, I bet all the other racers are inside."

Tommy pulled the Range Rover into the parking lot closest to the Gym. He loved his fellow rangers but he was ready to have them out so he could get back to the cabin and start to work before the rain started. He got out of the driver's seat to help the guys take their bags out of the trunk, "Just stay her beautiful, I'll be back."

Tommy respected her as a ranger, but sometimes it got on Kimberly's nerves that he ordered her around so much. She was sure he didn't mean anything by it, but damn.

Kimberly turned her head towards the driver's seat as she heard a beep come from that direction. Tommy left his phone on the seat, "Tommy, I think you just got…"

Kimberly hand mistakenly opened the text message by touching the screen while picking it up.

_Thanks a lot for being there for me when I needed you Tommy, I always wondered what it felt like being held in you're arms. Can't wait to see you on Monday. - Court._

Kimberly didn't believe it. She had the phone in her hands, reading the message herself and she still didn't believe it.

"I got what babe?" Tommy asked as he jumped back in the diver's seat.

"A text message…." She whispered as she held the phone out for him to take.

Tommy was confused by the expression Kim wore, up until the minute he took the phone and read what displayed on the screen. Tommy felt like his stomach fell to his toes.

"Kimberly… This isn't…"

"Don't even Tommy…"

"Kim…"

"Not in front of the guys ok?"

Kimberly didn't even look at him. She was still in shock! But if she started to talk to him about it she would probably burst into tears. That wasn't something she wanted all her friends to see.

"So Tommy, five sharp, don't forget." Aisha knew how infamous Tommy was for forgetting things.

"Very Funny Aisha, I'll be here."

"Kim…"

"Don't worry Sha, I'm all over it." Kimberly tried her best to master the smile she was wearing.

"OK girl, wish us luck!"

"Good luck, later."

Tommy pulled out of the parking lot and pulled on to the busy street. There were not a lot of times where Kimberly got mad, but when she was mad, she was mad.

"Kim, I just tried to comfort her after the whole Zedd thing, I didn't think she would make so much out of it."

Kim just kept looking straight ahead.

"Kimberly please don't do this now. We are able to spend a whole day together today. We've waited two weeks for this kind of time. Don't be mad, please."

Oh ok, so this was her fault. Kimberly felt like telling him to jump off of somewhere. But she kept her peace. If she opened her mouth she was sure she would say something she would probably regret later. How could he? Courtney of all people! Why not Chello? Or Simone? Courtney?

"Kimberly, Kimberly, Dammit Kim! Would you stop this? You know I would never cheat on you!"

Kimberly stormed into to the cabin with Tommy on her heels. The more he spoke to her, the more furious she became. She felt just like it looked outside: wild, untamed and filled with fury and ready to burst. Every time she looked at him she pictured Courtney wrapped in his arms. She felt like killing a Power Ranger, a white one to be exact.

"Stop what Tommy? I didn't say a word to you! What would you like me to say huh? You want me to tell you that I understand that wanted to comfort the girl who has done nothing but try to ruin me since day one? You want me to say that its ok?"

"Kimberly it was nothing. She was crying…"

"So were Simone, Stacy and Chello. Did you run to comfort them?"

_No, he hadn't…_

"EXACTLY!"

Kimberly had a point, but he wasn't going to back down. "Court sought me out Kimberly, I didn't go to her. The others didn't come to me for comfort."

"Oh so she's Court now huh, what's next on your list of pet names, Beautiful?"

"That's it. I'm going to start working before the rain comes. There should be food in the fridge if you're hungry. I'll be on the roof if you need me." With that Tommy left the room.

"I'm ok, but I think "Court" might need you. She's still probably messed up and all…" Kimberly shouted after him.

The loud booming thunder was more than enough to rattle the little cabin atop a small hill in Stone Canon. Tommy came down from the roof about five minutes ago as the clouds burst open releasing liquid missiles with brute force unto his bare back. He had been up there for about two hours. He was hoping that time was enough to allow Kim to calm down. With both their lives being so crazy lately, he just wanted a few hours of lying down with the woman he loved wrapped snuggly in his arms and cuddled up next to him. Tommy hated when they fought, and he just wanted it to be over. Maybe he didn't use his best judgment by hugging Courtney, but what was he suppose to do? She was in tears for crying out loud, and he understood those tears all too well. One thing he never intended on happening was Courtney reading too much into it, and Kim finding out the way she did. He had meant to tell her about it, now he guessed that it was one of the many things he forgot to do.

He came into the kitchen through the back door.

_Clear…_

He then went to the bathroom to grab a towel, where he caught sight of Kimberly sitting on the ground by the fireplace. She was just sitting there staring at the fire, where the flames danced a flickering rhythm on her face. She looked so beautiful in the light as the heavy dark clouds had plunged the room in darkness, leaving the only source of light illuminating his beautiful. Tommy grabbed a towel from the rack and went over to hover slightly behind her, gauging her mood.

Kimberly was very aware of Tommy standing behind her. How could she not? His smell of masculinity was enough to make her want him. And she did want him, she was just a little hurt at the moment. Courtney would never let her live this one down, and Tommy should have just known better. Comforting her wasn't the problem Kim had, but no woman other than her should find solace in his arms.

_None…_

"Kim, I'm sorry. Had I known Courtney would have blown it out of proportion I wouldn't have hugged her," Tommy came around to sit in front of her and look directly in her eyes, "but believe me when I tell you that I didn't intend to lead her on or to make you find out like that."

Kimberly looked at him now. "Why didn't you tell me?"

That was so not the response Tommy was hoping to hear, "Like you told me about Alec Panther?"

And that was the last thing Kim was expecting to hear, "Excuse me?"

"AL-EC. PANTH-ER," Tommy enunciated every syllable, "you know the tall dark and handsome point guard you're tutoring and everybody's drooling over."

"What about Alec?"

It was Tommy's turn to get upset, "Don't play games Kimberly."

"Play games? I think you've got me confused with "Court", you know, your other Beautiful." Two can play the game.

Tommy saw red. "Kimberly I love you, but be careful…"

Kim remembered the last time he said that to her. They were having an argument quite similar to this one and she was bating him the same way she was doing now. The end result? Orgasms that made her forget her name; that made her beg for mercy. Kim was hot all of a sudden, but even with his threat she still wouldn't back down.

"If you have something to ask Oliver, go ahead and ask."

"Why did Alec come after me when he was turned into a monster?"

"He hardly knew it was you Tommy, he went after the white ranger."

"Bullshit Kim," Tommy was on his feet now. She was not about to be angry at him about something she is guilty of herself, "you know they knew exactly you we were, they just don't remember it now."

"Well your guess is as good as mine."

Tommy stared at her. He was not about to play this game with her. She was now staring back at him with defiant eyes. They both knew the answer; he just wanted her to admit that she knew.

At the end of the day, Kimberly knew she owed him an explanation. She sighed and hung her head low.

"He wants you, doesn't he?"

Kimberly stood up and walked over to the window looking out, "He started coming on to me shortly after he and his girlfriend broke up."

"And you keep it from me this entire time."

Kimberly turned to face him then, "First off, he never touched me. Secondly, I figured he was just on the rebound. Thirdly, he just flirted here and there, and when I told him to stop he did. Now with your "Court" she always touching you, always flirting with you and have no respect of the fact that we are dating!"

"Kimberly I just hugged her! You have no idea what did feels like to be taken over by evil! You cant sympathies with her because you have no idea what it feels like. Evil never affected you in anyway!"

Kimberly could not believe what she was hearing! "Never affected me? My own mother has been through hell the past couple of months and I wasn't aware of it, much more there for her. Everyday I get kicked in the gut, face or ass fighting evil. On top of all that, the one person I have truly ever loved was turned against me, and then left me for weeks without so much as an email because of evil. So you're right Tommy, evil never affected me."

Tommy felt like kicking himself in the mouth. "Kim I…"

"I cant believe that's how you really feel…"

He went over to her now. He had to touch her, "Its not Kimberly. I don't even know why I said that. I'm a ranger too so I know that evil affects us all. I'm such an ass. Forgive me, its just that when I saw them as monsters, I saw myself as the evil green ranger again. I would never wish that kind of evil on anyone. I just felt sorry for her. I... I was just trying to…"

Tommy was cut off by Kimberly claiming his mouth with hers. It took zero seconds for the effects of that kiss to reach his core, and he felt the animal inside him burst through its cage; the animal only Kim could release.

Kimberly felt horrible for being so angry, she pulled away, "I'm sorry Tommy, I should have understood, I shouldn't have..."

"Stop apologizing and kiss me dammit," Tommy planting his mouth on hers, scooped her up in his arms, and headed for the bedroom.

Kimberly was in a dream state. His mouth was hot. Dominant. Hungry. An urgent demand and full of promises to come.

**

* * *

**

The heat built, A fiery inferno that turned her blood into a molted liquid that pooled low in her body and consumed her mind with a dark desire she would never escape. It moved through her body, wicked and sinful until she was consumed with the need to taste him, to give him everything. Every inhibition that prevented her from giving herself to him from the moment they walked through the door were gone now. They were all lost in the fire of his hot mouth and hard body. But it wasn't enough with his mouth welded to hers, she had to feel the heat of his skin beneath the pads of her fingers exploring every muscle, every indentation. Her hand found the fastening of his trousers and she tried her best to push impatiently at the offending jeans while Tommy devoured her mouth. He eased up off her in that second and all but ripped the jeans off himself. The air crackled as lightning tore across the sky, casting silvery beams over his hard chiseled body; he looked magnificently male. Kimberly gasp in awe, running her hands over him, while deep inside the aching need blossomed into a ferocious ache that bit and clawed at her until her body raged. She felt it now, the new bond they shared as the Falcon and the Crane. It was still very young, but always present. They had not mastered the full potential of their bond, or even sure want it meant, but Dulcea assured them that they would discover all in time. For now, the only time Kimberly felt the bond between them was when they were like this; when their moods were the same, when their hearts beat in sync with each other, when they want nothing but each other. She looked up at him hanging over her. His eyes his eyes had darken with desire, merciless and alive with hunger and an insatiable lust. She understood; she felt exactly the same.

Tommy's mind was in a haze. All he could think of was how much he wanted her, needed her naked beneath him begging for him to take her. He grabbed at the threads of her cotton top so that the buttons almost went flying. His hands skimmed gently up her rib cage , settling at her breast as he dipped his head to feast on the soft, creamy mound. Kimberly's soft cry was almost enough to send him over the edge. He felt the pressure inside him build for his woman as his mouth suckled and nibbled strongly at her peak. His hands glided over the curve of her hips, sliding her jeans from her body along with her panties, leaving her opened to his hungry gaze. Tommy pulled back to gaze lustfully at his Beautiful. Her neck was long and lean, giving way to her torso with two perfect mounds just begging to be devoured. Lower still to her cute little belly button he so loved to lavish. Her hips were tucked into a tiny waist, hips that gave way to two perfect thighs he just love to cradle between. But the greatest treasure was buried between those thighs…

"So beautiful…." His voice was husky. He seemed to be in his own little world as he sexed her with his eyes. He leaned down again to skim his teeth along side her breast, "touch me baby," he commanded softly, "I need you hands on me. Touch me."

He didn't have to tell her twice. Her hands went to his hips, tracing his hip bones, the sharp edges, the defined muscles. He groaned as his body grew fuller and heavier at the brushing of her skin against him. Through the bond they shared Kim could feel what he felt, what her touch was doing to him, "Tommy…"

"Shhh…. Beautiful, let me just love you for a while."

His mouth at her breast was numbing her mind, turning her body into liquid heat. She was drenched between her legs, her body screaming at her for release, screaming for the man who was presently driving her crazy with anticipation. Deliberately she danced her fingers along the long, full, thick length of him, cupping the weight of it in her hand, squeezing and caressing gently until the air rushed out of his lungs. His lifted his head with a soft growl of animal pleasure. But it wasn't enough; she wanted to bring him to his knees. Kimberly caught at his hips, dragging him closer and ran her tongue along his jaw line. He said something, something hot and erotic, moving away from her face and started a fast decent down her body. He took one slight second to swirl his tongue in her navel, then he grasped her legs, jerking her to him so that her legs were spread wide, leaving her open and vulnerable. While kneeling, he simply tugged her legs over his broad shoulders and bent to find her hot, wet core with his probing tongue.

Kimberly imploded, fragmented, rocking and bucking in his hands. She cried out something, her finger clutching at something, anything to hold on to as she had one of the best orgasms of her life.

"Not good enough Kim," he said demandingly, impatiently, "Again. Again and again, and next time say my name. Know who has you begging for more." It was an order. A threat. His mouth found her again, buried deep, stroking, caressing, teasing. Very deliberately he slipped a finger inside her and her body responded immediately. Tommy came up over her with his finger still inside her, teeth nibbling and tongue swirling over her navel. Her muscles tighten around his fingers in answer. "Mmmm.. that's it beautiful. That's what I need to feel," he inserted another finger while moving up to suckle at her breast thrusting so temptingly at him. Her body shuddered in answer, bathing his fingers in a hot cream, clenching and tightening, rippling with pleasure.

"Tommy!" Kimberly screamed his name. Aching. Needing. On fire.

She was on the brink again, but Tommy wanted it to be him this time. He wanted her to feel him, "Not yet Kim, I need to tell me want you want," he positioned himself at her entrance and it was all he could do not to surge forward. His voice was velvet soft, a seduction of senses, husky with his own hunger, "tell me what you want from me beautiful. I'm right here to give it to you."

"Tommy I want you inside me now!"

He brought her legs to his waist, pushed his hips against her, keeping her thighs wide to accommodate his larger body as he pressed into her hot, wet, welcoming sheath. A soft cry escaped her throat as he pushed into her. Her muscle barely gave way to his large manhood, grapping unto him like a vice grip, surrounding him with slick, hot pleasure. "God Kim, you're always so tight and hot."

Even with his fingers preparing her and the many times they made love, her body was tight and resisting against his hard thick length, "Don't stop Tommy, I want all of you," her voice was full with need, her face etching of desire and hunger, eyes burning with intensity.

Tommy surged forward; burying himself to the hilt and Kimberly's cry of pleasure scattered through and shook the small cabin. It was his name she cried, a declaration of love and the cry of her animal spirit thrilled to be joined with her mate. Her release was fast and ferocious, overtaking her like a freight train before she could catch her breath.

Tommy showed no mercy, surging forward, burying himself deep while the fiery friction built again and again, intense and hot, a firestorm angrier than the one raging outside, threatening to consume them both. He rammed into to her over and over, felt her tightening and clenching once more. He was going mad with pleasure. His body bucked and tightened and he roared with his own release, hands gripping her possessively as her body took his over the edge of all control, of all reason, of all sanity. Tommy collapse on top of her, aware of their heart beating in synchrony, aware of the outburst of the storm raging outside, aware of his perfect little woman lying beneath him.

Kimberly laid with Tommy in her arms staring at the ceiling. She was relaxed despite the earth shattering sex she just had. The last time they were together like this was two weeks ago, way too long for either of their liking. The new bond they shared made them crave each other in a way that two people didn't normally crave anything. Sex with Tommy had started before their trip to Phaedos, but after claiming their animal spirits, they wanted to come together in more than a sexual way. They wanted to feel each other, mind body and spirit. She was sometimes afraid of the bond they shared, afraid of the unknown. But if she was destined to be bonded, she was happy it was with Tommy.

It was Tommy who shifted first, leaving her arms to the spot behind her and gathered up in a spooning position.

"Mmmmm…. You were incredible." Tommy whispered in her ear.

Kimberly smiled, "And you were wild." Tommy usually let her have her way with every aspect of their relationship. If Kim asked, he moved heaven and earth to fulfill her wishes. But when it came to sex he was…dominant, to say the least.

"You love me wild…" he said as he bit on her ear.

"Absolutely."

They laid there in silence listening to the bustling of the trees and the rain drops pounding on the roof. One of Tommy's hands was under and around Kim, fondling her breast, the other he had running down her hip and thighs. Kimberly had started to fall into a light sleep when she felt him getting hard behind her. A faint smile curved her soft mouth, "Go away before you kill me."

Tommy moved the hand that was caressing her hip to the treasure between her legs. He found what he was looking for and began his massage. "Are you sure you want me to go?"

Kimberly was already grounding herself against his hands and against his cock. His hand felt so good playing with her. She reached back to cradle his head and held her head back to look at him. "Why would I ever want you to go anywhere?"

He took her mouth then, slow and passionate. He tried to pour all the love he felt for her in that one kiss. Kimberly was wreaking havoc on his groin area, but he sensed the calm gentle mood she was in, and he would give her just that. He quickened the pace of his hand rubbing her clit, which made her gasp even with his mouth covering hers. He then slowed down, wanting this moment with her to last forever.

Needing some relief of his own, Tommy moved the hand from her clit to raise her leg up, and gently slid himself inside her from behind. He then used his other hand to replace the one he just moved from her clit. Kimberly moaned inside Tommy's mouth, he felt so damn good inside her, she wished she could stay with him in this cabin forever.

"Mmmm Kim," she was so damn tight, "I love you so much beautiful."

"I love you too handsome, ahhh…mmm…uhhhh… You're driving me crazy though..." He was moving way too slow for her taste.

Tommy chuckled. Only his beautiful, "I thought I was too wild for you…"

"Who said that?"

He gave her one hard stroke for the hell of it, Kimberly cried out. "You said that, remember?"

"Well I take it back, I take it all back." He was driving her to the edge, only to pull back just before she went over. Damn him.

"How do you want it Kim?"

"Harder!"

"Who do you want to give it you?"

"You baby…"

"Who?"

"You Tommy! Oh God please…"

He moved quickly. He went on his knees, dragging Kimberly up and back against him. The firm muscles of her bottom were pressed tightly against his heavy erection so that he grew even harder. He held on tightly to her hips as he bulged so deep inside her nobody could ever get him out. Fireworks exploded behind his closed eyelids. It amazed him how tight she was, how hot, how her muscles were so delicate yet gripped him, milking his body for everything its worth. On and on he surged. Every time burying himself to the hilt, every time reeling a cry from Kimberly. His body had its own mind, jamming over and over, and there was his beautiful, meeting his every stroke thrust for thrust, she loved it. He felt the bond between and through it he felt how much Kimberly loved him inside her, and that was enough to send him over the edge. He hung on to her hips for dear life as his orgasm ripped through him, shaking him to the core. In some far distance he could hear Kimberly's own roar of pleasure, forever right there with him.

As the aftershocks subsided, Tommy collapse onto the bed beside Kimberly, trying to catch his breath. His back was killing him, "I… think...I'm… broken," he declared between breaths.

* * *

"Tommy stop, STOP!" Kimberly was laughing so hard she was two seconds away from peeing herself.

"Not until you take it back," she would have to pee herself today. No one made fun of his manhood. Especially not someone whom appreciated it so.

"Ok ok I take it back!"

"Say it…"

"Tommy Oliver is the best lover on the planet!"

"And don't you dare forget it." He released her from his torture, only to have her spring away from him.

Kimberly tried to catch her breath. Ever since Tommy found out she was ticklish, he always used it against her. "That's the last time I'll tell you one of my weaknesses Oliver. And you should never torture a girl into giving you a compliment."

He loved her like this, playful and happy. They were sitting by the fireplace in the living room. They had gotten out of bed after a short nap, and took a shower together before curling up by the fire.

He just laughed at her last statement, but there's something else that had been on his mind. "Did you feel it? You know, when we were making love."

Kim knew immediately what he was talking about. She went back over to him so he could hold her. "Yea, I felt it."

"Why do you think that's the only time we feel it so strongly? Dulcea never told us how to tap into it, or what it is for that matter."

"I don't know handsome. A bond between complimentary spirits possesses infinite power, a power that once the bond is sealed can never be lost." Kimberly remembered the words Dulcea spoke as if it were yesterday.

"But this power cannot be spoken, but discovered," Tommy concluded Dulcea's speech.

They both wondered in silence about the sealing of the bond. What would it take to seal it? Did they want that kind of power? What more responsibilities would they acquire along with it?

"Oh my God Tommy, its 4:30!"

They both jumped up and started gathering their things to head back on the road. Whatever mysteries their bond held would have to wait another day.


	3. Chapter 3

**First, I want to sincerely apologize for the formatting in the previous chapters. I went back so many times trying to fix it to my liking and it still doesn't look right. I am new to the site, and still getting use to how things work around here. I will try to make the formatting better from this point on. **

**Secondly, I will try to update as often as possible. I am presently writing two fics, and I'm not going to start another one until these are finished. I alternate updates between fics, and with working two jobs that might take a little while. But I hate waiting, and I hate to keep people waiting, so I'll try my very best to update as frequent as possible.**

**Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Its good to know that after so many years the MMPR fan base is still going strong! More reviews are always welcome (Reviews encourage me to keep on writing. If no reviews, then I'll assume no one is reading****)**

**I own absolutely nothing but the plot. **

**Chapter 3**

"Come on guys, it's this way."

The power forces were strong in the hallway. Billy was sure they only had a few more yards to go until they were in the amulet's vicinity; the only problem was pinpointing its exact location. The power locater device Billy was currently holding worked somewhat like a metal detector: it beeps, annoyingly, when it came close to a power source, but it would be up to the rangers to find it.

Their mission from Zordon was clear: retrieve the amulet before Lord Zedd does, and destroy it. Zordon emphasized to the rangers that the amulet could not fall into Zedd's evil hands, or any other evil being. The last time the amulet was in reign the power was so great it almost destroyed the universe. It took the combined forces of good and evil to subdue the Emperor who wore it, and even then, their combine powers were not enough to destroy it. So it was hidden on the distant planet, Yimathi, galaxies away from every other planet so no creature could try to wield its power again. How Lord Zedd discovered its existence and location was still unknown. The only thing that mattered now was that the rangers get to it first and destroy it. Zordon had the confidence that the rangers possessed enough power to carry out the mission.

"Ok guys," Billy shoved the device it his left pocket. "The amulet is somewhere within these hallways. Time to find it."

Kimberly didn't know why Billy kept referring to the creepy tunneling through the rocks as hallways. The openings in the rocks were like monstrous mouths yawning with jagged teeth coming down from the roof and up from the floors. It was damp and so humid she could barely breathe, and her helmet didn't help much with the situation. The place gave her the creeps.

"Alright, let's spread out. And be on the look out for booby traps. We don't need to be fighting anymore of those pirate- looking zombies."

Tommy hated this place. In all the weird places they've been on ranger business, this one made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. And those pirate-thingies…

He shuddered.

Yea, it was time to find the amulet and split. Something was not right about the place. He just knew it.

"Guys, something tells me the amulet is in that direction." The yellow ranger pointed to an area on the far right side of the hallway where there was an orb in the wall.

"Oh great. A warp that takes us into the unknown. This should be fun!" said rocky, clearly not impressed. "Yee-freaking- ahhh."

They all stood there staring at what they knew would be a dangerous path. Since they arrived, they hadn't had a dull moment, and they seriously didn't think what was on the other side of the orb would disappoint. It shimmered and swirled from a blue tinting to a red one as a piercing white light came from inside it.

Adam curiously pushed his right hand through the warp, only to have it disappear in front of him. He quickly pulled his hand back, clutching it with the other.

"This day just keep getting better." He said with disdain.

Tommy came to stand in front of them. "Ok guys. I don't get all warm and fuzzy inside thinking about walking into this thing, but we can't let lord Zedd get the amulet." He paused to take a deep breath. "We don't know what's on the other side of this warp, so we'll hold hands going in. If they're no floors at least we'll fall close together if we're holding hands." He looked at Kimberly, then to the rest of the team. "Whatever you do, don't let go until we all make it safely through." They all confirmed with a nod.

Tommy turned around to face the orb. He reached behind him and took Rocky's hand, secretly wishing it was Kim standing close to him. He watched as they all linked there hands. He gave Kimberly a pleading look.

_Please God, keep her safe._

She gave him an encouraging nod which gave him some amount of strength. He turned around, determination set on his face. They would all survive this, and they would find and destroy the amulet. He refused to believe otherwise.

"Let's go guys; nice and easy."

Tommy led the team through the warp. As he stepped through, he felt his stomach fall to his feet. It was pitch black and the air around him thicken. The ice cold temperature bit into his skin, even through his ranger uniform that was supposed to help regulate his temperature. The silence was deafening. The only sound he heard came from Rocky's footsteps close on his heels. When he had walked far enough inside, he called back to the rangers to see if they all made it in.

"All here Tommy." Adam shouted from the back.

No soon as the words left Adam's lips did a fierce howl echo through the room. The sound was as deafening as the silence, and the rangers clamped their hands over their helmets in reflex. The lights came on. A white, bright, blinding light that gave no time for the adjustment of their pupils. It was just as the darkness had been; only this time it was too bright to see anything clearly. There were no ceilings or floors, just an open space of nothingness with a howling fierce enough to blow eardrums. Tommy heard someone cry out in pain as the light started flashing so fast it was enough to make him dizzy. He couldn't see, hear or feel anything but the cold biting into his skin. It was enough to drive him to his knees. His head spun, his ears hurt and his eyes watered.

"What's going on?" Among everything that was going on, Billy felt the ground beneath his feet tremble. "Guys I think we are loosing the floor!"

"Kimberly! Watch out!"

Tommy's head whipped up when he heard the warning shout from Adam. When he looked up he could barely see a thick black shadow descending towards them. Towards Kimberly. She barely had time to respond as the black shadow formed around her, swallowing her in the depths.

"NO!"

Tommy began to run towards her, but Billy and Adam took off in her direction in front of him. Before he had time to register what was happening, he saw Billy and Adam fall into a black warp that formed below their feet and sucked them in.

He heard screaming. He wasn't sure which of the rangers it was or if it had come from himself. There was too much happening at once! He could barely get his bearings.

The lights came to a dim and seized flashing. The howling also came to an abrupt stop, plunging the room back into silence, except for Aisha crying out for her friends.

"What… what happened? Kimberly! Oh my God! Billy! Adam!" Her voice came out in gasps between her cries. She was two seconds away from hysteria.

"Aisha, look at me, look at me!" Rocky held her by the shoulder and shook her. She would have to calm down if they were ever going to find their friends.

Aisha took a few minutes to take deep breathes to calm herself. She didn't know why she was acting like this. She had been on many dangerous missions; why was she so hysteric about this one? She looked up at Rocky. Even though she couldn't see his face, his presence alone was enough to comfort her.

"I'm fine now red." She reassured him.

"You sure?"

She nodded her head and turn towards Tommy, then was taken aback with what she saw. Their brave leader, who was always the strongest and kept everyone grounded, was now kneeling with both hands clutched over his heart. He was shaking uncontrollably and his breath came out in little gasps.

"Rocky, Tommy!"

They both ran over to where Tommy was kneeling, desperate to help him.

"Come on boss, talk to me." Rocky tried to shake him back the same way he did Aisha, but he seemed to be stuck in a trance.

"Tommy, you get your butt up off that floor so we can find that blasted amulet and get out of here!" Aisha screamed but he didn't budge. "What the hell is wrong with him?"

The floors that were still shaking beneath them let out a loud crackling sound and suddenly gave way. Aisha screamed as the white floors peeled away, spilling the rangers, leaving them to free fall down a dark tunnel with bats and spiders clawing at them on their way down.

The fall that seemed to go on for an eternity finally came to a stop with the rangers painfully falling to the floor. Rocky dragged himself up, stepping sideways to catch his balance. He looked down to see whatever it was that was throwing off his balance, and discovered that his feet were buried almost three inches deep in human bones.

They were everywhere.

Not one speck of the floor was visible. The bones laid in layers and was coated with a thick layer of dust, telling Rocky that this place hadn't been disturbed in years. Looking out further, Rocky caught sight of Aisha crawling towards Tommy. Aisha's yellow uniform stood out in the white background the bones made, but Tommy was barely visible in the poor lit room they now occupied. Tommy was shifting into a sitting position as Rocky approached them.

"What happened?" Tommy shook his head. He felt like he had been drugged.

"You went into a slight coma it seems." Rocky said as helped Tommy up, trying to steady him as the bones rolled under his feet. "And Kim, Adam and Billy are missing."

Tommy felt like he was fighting back clouds in his head. He could barely catch on to what Rocky was telling him. He shook his head to dispel the clouds as he looked about the hall they now occupied. This room was even bigger than the last one they were in. The floor went on for miles in every direction, covered with skulls and dust. The walls were so distance Tommy could hardly make out what was sparkling from the little sections in between them. He kept turning around until the sight of a gigantic column in the center of the room caught his eye. They had fallen with their backs to it, and had just now seen it.

"Wow, now that's something you don't see everyday." Aisha's mouth hang open as they came closer to the crystallized column, studded with gems and diamonds. It extended so far up into the air, it was impossible to see the top.

Tommy walked closer to inspect the column. It was clear enough for him to see the millions of stones that were embedded inside. In the outer bands of the column the gems were more scattered, and got denser further into the middle of...

Tommy's eyes grew wide as he saw what was at the center of the column.

"Kimberly!"

Aisha and Rocky was confused until they looked closer inside the column. "Oh my God! Billy! Adam! Kimberly!"

The three rangers were frozen, with their hands extended upward like they were submerged inside. The gems cluttered around them making it hard to see them.

"What...how... are they still..." Rocky couldn't form a complete thought as he saw his friends frozen inside the column. How could they breathe? Are they even breathing? Were they still alive?

Tommy couldn't move as he saw the love of his life frozen right before him. She was so close, yet he couldn't touch her. He couldn't feel the warmth of her skin beneath his palm.

She was alive. Something within him knew that she was. If she were dead he would know it. His heart would know it. He reached out without even thinking about it. Needing the feel of his Beautiful beneath his hands.

As soon as he let his palm touch the column, the room shuddered and the walls began to give way. The rangers whirled around to face an army of what appeared to be ... dogs. Dogs on steroids. With really big swords. They came pouring into the hall from all different directions, charging at them and bellowing a war cry.

"Why am I having a 'The Mummy Returns' flashback?"

Tommy shook his head at Rocky's misplaced humor. He didn't feel like joking around right now. He was sick of this place. Sick of the stench and sick of the hidden traps. Right now he just wanted to get the hell off the stinking planet and snuggle up to his girlfriend.

"Ok guys, lets show these bastards why no one should ever piss off a ranger!"

"Right!" Aisha and Rocky shouted.

"Spirits come forth. Rangers, power up!" Tommy cried while throwing his right hand in the air.

"Power up!" Aisha and Rocky followed suit.

Tommy heard the falcon's cry first, and then he felt its spirit combining with his own. There was such a high that came from combining their spirits: the strength in its wings was now the strength in his hands, the swiftness of its claws were now the swiftness of his feet, and the power in its heart was now the power coursing through his veins. How Tommy loved this part of the game. He knew he was now glowing white. He took a minute to glance behind him to see Aisha glowing yellow and Rocky glowing red.

"_The crane…"_ He heard the falcon scream in his head.

_Don't worry._ He communicated telepathically with his animal spirit. _We're about to get her back._

"_Surely. Anything less is unacceptable,"_ The spirit responded with conviction. _"But first, we shall dispose of these dark creatures."_

Tommy smiled to himself. He couldn't agree more.

* * *

The amulet shun green from the power concealing chamber Billy had placed it in inside the Command Center. After defeating the army of… dogs that had attacked them, the blow that took out the final warrior resonated throughout the hallway, shattering the outer bands of the column that held the three rangers inside. Combined with their animal spirits, the ranger blew off the remaining layers of the column, extracting their friends from inside. The amulet was inside of the circle the three rangers had formed with their bodies. Whatever forces had placed it there banked on the fact that the rangers would have to kill their friends in order to retrieve the amulet. Little did that force knew, however, that with their animal spirits combine to their own, it was impossible for one ranger to hurt the other. So they were able to blast the crystal column without doing damage to their friends.

But Adam, Billy and Kimberly did not escape unscathed. Billy and Adam's feet were burned by something; they still didn't know what. Even with alpha trying to reverse the damage done, the rangers would have to heal naturally from the burns.

Kimberly on the other hand was uncontrollably sick. Her nausea had lessened a few hours after returning to the command center, but it was still present. Every now and then, she would have to run to the bathroom to be sick.

Alpha told them that the difference with their symptoms came from the method in which they were abducted.

Tommy didn't mention that even though he was not abducted, he still felt like something was pulling at his heart. It had been much worse back when he had been on the planet. When he saw Kim being swallowed by the shadow. God, he couldn't remember the last time he had been so scared. It still hadn't sunk in yet that she was now safe. That's why he hadn't let her out of his arms since they got back to the command center.

Tommy was sitting on top of a blue table that held some of their monitors toward the far right, facing Zordon. Kimberly was tucked between his legs with her back to him, his arms coming around her waist steadying her and caressing her unsettled stomach. Kimberly rested her head back against his shoulder, feeling the exhaustion of the day crumbling down on her.

Billy was off to his left, still analyzing what made the amulet so freaking hard to destroy. They had tried countless times back in the hall, and then later in the Command Center to destroy it, but with no luck. Zordon had then, seeing their failure, instructed Billy to place it in the power concealing chamber, where no one could detect its presence in the Command Center.

Aisha was off to the other side of the room clinging to Rocky, needing the assurance of her boyfriend that they were all now safe. That was one adventure she surely could have done without.

Adam was in a chair towards the back of the command center, nodding off. He needed to go home and sleep for a day. Or twenty.

"RANGERS."

They all came to attention at the sound of Zordon's booming voice.

"I WANT TO COMMEND YOU ON A SUCCESSFUL MISSION WHERE SO MANY OTHERS HAVE FAILED. I REALIZE THAT YOU ALL RISK YOUR LIVES, AS YOU HAVE COUNTLESS TIMES BEFORE, TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF MANKIND, AND IT TAKES AN ABUNDANT AMOUNT OF GRACE AND STRENGTH TO DO WHAT YOU DO."

With those few words, Zordon made the entire mission worth IT. Kimberly took great pride in calling him mentor.

"THE AMULET SEEMS TO BE INDESTRUCTIBLE AT THE MOMENT, BUT ALPHA AND I WILL CONTINUE TRYING TO BREAK ITS PROTECTIVE FORCES. GO HOME RANGERS. YOU HAVE DONE WELL THIS DAY."

Zordon's form then disappeared as he went back into hibernation.

"Hey guys," Tommy called, but still remained where he was seated with Kimberly between his legs with her back to him. He turned towards Aisha and Rocky, "You two fought well today. If you haven't kept it together, we probably would have failed."

"Well it was me more than anyone. Aisha was just about to reach breaking point when-ouch!" Rocky was cut off as Aisha's elbowed him in the stomach.

"Thank you Tommy boy, though we were just doing what we were there for." Aisha said proudly.

Tommy glanced over all of them and felt a flood of emotions come over him. He would never understand what he did to deserve such great friends. He would fight a million Goldars for the rest of his life if that meant he would always be able to call them friends.

" Lets go home," he eyed them intently. "We have a lot to do this week".

Adam, Billy and Rocky smiled, knowing exactly what Tommy was referring to. Yes, the was a lot to get done before Saturday.


	4. Chapter 4

**Don't kill me! I know it's been way too long and thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I really do appreciate it. I feel like a kid at Christmas.**

**This story stands to show that even though the rangers were... err… rangers; they were still teenagers with real problems, flaws and struggles. They are sometimes afraid, emotional and even complain from time to time. **

**While this story deals with that aspect, I realize that I cannot have the characters be true to themselves without power ranger action. But I must tell you, action is very hard for me to write (yes, I'm a hopeless romantic). So while I will take you all into battle with them, we will see more of what they are thinking and feeling rather than a detailed description of the battle itself (as you can see from the previous chapter). I hope this doesn't take away from the story (shout out to Shawn for writing such amazing action fics!)**

**I have a small request. If you have read an amazing MMPR tom/kim fic, can you please send it my way? I long for a good read, one that doesn't involve the letter (still mad about that) and something that's not a reunion fic. Something similar to this one; where the rangers are still in high school being their superhero selves. **

**Ok that was long enough lol. Happy reading!**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

_**Thoughts are in italics…**_

**Chapter 4**

_These iron bars can't hold my soul in, all I need is you…_

Kimberly sang in her mind as she twirled around on the balance beam. Nickelback was one of her favorite bands; their music could get her through anything.

_Come please I'm calling, and oh I scream for you…_

Ready for her dismount, she started her back handsprings.

_Hurry…_

One flip...

_I'm falling…_

Two flips...

_I'm falling…_

Jump, twirl out, over and... land!

_Take that Grant!_

Kimberly proudly spun around from the beam and skipped toward her coach with a huge smile plastered on her face.

He just stood there. With one hand drawn across his torso and the other resting atop it, he stared at her.

Endlessly.

Kimberly started fidgeting as she waited for her critique. Of all the evils she faced on a day to day basis, she hated this one the most. Ever since the gymnastics team's old coach retired, Coach Grant had stepped in to carry on the mantle. He was younger, more built than Coach Perez and been, and much more abrasive. He screamed at the gymnasts constantly through practices more aggressive than a drill sergeant, hammering them with routines and constantly barking out orders.

And still he stood there. Just as Kimberly had the urge to kick his teeth in he lifted a hand to point to the right. She followed his finger with her eyes until she saw that he was pointing to the scale on the far right of the youth center.

Her mouth fell open. Was he serious?

"Scale."

Kimberly looked at him in shock, "Are you serious?"

"Scale, Kimberly."

Kimberly always hated his tone. It always made her feel like she was the gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe. Swallowing the inferno boiling inside her, Kimberly reluctantly walked over to the scale, and even more reluctantly stepped unto the base.

"Mmmm…"

Kimberly stood there waiting for him to say something else. Something like "sorry I was being an ass". But no, all she got was "Mmmm". What's Mmmm suppose to mean anyway?

"So I see now what the problem is…"

He's joking. There was no other explanation than that. Kimberly turned around to face him with her most innocent expression not even Zordon could resist.

"Problem?" Kimberly asked with way too much syrup in her voice.

"Yes Ms Hart, problem. Are you as deaf as you are fat?"

Kimberly's mouth gaped.

"See Ms Hart, in the world of gymnastics, fat people don't go as high as the average size gymnast. So I would recommend you lose that extra pound you gained since the last weight we have on file for you, or find another team to embarrass."

Kimberly couldn't believe what she was hearing. While she didn't brag, she knew damn well that she was the best gymnast on the team. Was he serious?

"Not to be disrespectful sir, but I think my height is fine…"

"Fine isn't what win gold medals! You barely cleared the beam on your dismount and landed way too close to it for my liking," Coach Grant was so close to her face she could feel his breath on her cheek. "Here's a piece of advice, fix it or get lost." He turned around to walk back to the rest of the gymnast, "What was that Clara? Do it again, and this time don't embarrass yourself!"

Kimberly stood staring after him with her mouth wide open. She quickly caught herself as she realized the man's words had started to sink in.

She closed her mouth and straightened her shoulders with conviction. She was never weak, and she wasn't about to let this man make her feel self conscious about her weight. She was an amazing gymnast, and if he didn't like it satan was always up for house guests.

She got off the scale and fought down a wave of nausea. She would show that pig just what a pissed off "fat" girl could do.

* * *

"Ok Adam, that's the last time we let you pick the movie. I'm so not following this."

Lord Zedd seemed to have taken a break since their ranger mission on Tuesday. They all felt that the last mission yielded far too much effort and pain. Close calls were a part of the package. It came with the job description. But one can never get used to almost losing their life. It was always terrifying, yet somehow a master instructor, teaching them to appreciate every second they breathed; never knowing which breathe would be their last.

It was why they all were together tonight. Their peers were scattered over Angel Grove attending to their individual endeavors. But not the rangers; not after such a close call. Adam's basement was one of their many getaways, where they all came together to appreciate each other. They were family.

The only light that penetrated the room came from Adam's 55 inch flat screen mounted on the wall in front of them. The large wrap around sectional sat directly in front of it, housing Billy at one end, stuffing popcorn down his throat with glasses smeared by popcorn cheese. Kimberly sat at the other end with Tommy's hand wrapped loosely around her waist, head on his shoulder and her feet in his lap. Adam sat on the ground not too far from Tommy's feet, casting a wary look at Rocky due his last comment. Adam tried to ignore the slight burning around his ankle that was still present from their last mission as he looked over at Rocky sitting on the floor at a right angle to him, with Aisha seated in the ottoman directly above him.

"I'm not surprised Rocky, giving your short attention span."

"He's not alone there buddy, I don't get it either." Kimberly had been trying to follow the story line for a while now, and she was failing. Miserably.

Adam rolled his eyes. "Kimberly you don't get a say either, you've been watching Tommy more than the screen."

She answered by tossing one of the cushions at him.

"It seems they are attempting to tell the story from different points of view," Billy explained. "If you notice the frequent change of colors, each of the colors represents the view of the person telling the story."

"Oh I see," Tommy added. "And I think its going backwards too. They started it at the end, and are reflecting. The soldier told the King what happened and the King didn't believe him. The king then told the soldier what he thought really happened. After that the soldier admitted he was lying, but the king story wasn't right either. So he's now telling the story again, but this time it's what really happened."

Rocky scratched his head. "So in essence, they are replaying the same scenes, just changing the color of their clothes and a few details?"

"So that viewers would not find it too challenging to distinguish between the different points of views," Billy confirmed. "The first one is false, the second is the king's speculations, and the third is the truth."

Aisha rolled her eyes," Well no wonder I was lost."

"And now that you are all found, shut and watch the movie. It's getting to the good part." Adam silenced everyone and set his eyes back on the screen.

In all honesty, Kimberly was finding it very difficult to concentrate on the movie. Her stomach would not settle down, and Coach Grant's harsh words from earlier were still ringing in her ears despite the fact that she tried her hardest to ignore it. She hadn't told anybody about what he said, which made her question why it bothered her to the point that she wouldn't confide in her friends. She knew she was not overweight, and had no intention to go on a strict diet, so why did it bother her so?

Tommy felt a slight chill run down the middle of his back, causing a frown to appear on his face. He suddenly felt uneasy, like a small weight sat in the middle of his chest. He looked around at his friends, wondering if they felt the strange sensation. But they all seemed to be caught up in the movie. Well, that's what he thought until his eyes rested on Kim's face against his chest.

"Hey," He gave her a tight squeeze while whispering to her. "You ok?"

She looked up and gave him a tentative smile, "Yea, just my stomach acting up again."

Billy overheard her, "My ankles still burn too Kimberly. I'm still working on a way to rid us of these lingering symptoms."

She looked over at him and gave him an encouraging smile, "Thanks Blue, this is starting to get irritating."

The rangers sat in silence while the movie unfold on screen. After the movie ended, Tommy went to the small bar to get a can of soda, leaving Kim lying on the sofa.

"Is she doing ok?"

Tommy turned looked over the refrigerator door to where Aisha was approaching. With her braids hanging around her face, Aisha came up to Tommy wearing a worried expression.

Tommy shrugged, "She says she ok, but you know Kim, she's always ok."

Aisha rolled her eyes, "Tell me about it. Sometimes I get tired of that tough act she puts on. That's why I asked you and not her."

Kimberly was like a sister to Aisha. Every since she became a ranger, Kimberly took her under her wings and made her feel at home. But she sometimes worried about Kim. She was always trying to be strong, telling everyone that she was ok. And it was times like these, when Aisha knew her best friend wasn't feeling well, that Aisha wish Kim leaned on her more, opened up to her more. Of course Kim confided in her, but Aisha always felt like she would hold back at times. Times whn she thought herself weak.

"You take care of my girl, Oliver. I mean it." Aisha held her stare just to get her point across.

"With everything in me." Tommy's gaze didn't waver.

Aisha nodded, "Good then. So everything set for tomorrow?"

"Shhhhhh!" Tommy looked around to see if Kim overheard them from her spot on the sofa. Thankfully her eyes were still closed.

"Everything is good and ready," he said looking back at Aisha. "You just make sure you do your part."

"I'll all over it, Oh fearless leader," Aisha taunted with a salute.

Tommy rolled his eyes at her, and then looked over to Kimberly. He just hoped she felt better tomorrow.

* * *

Kimberly absolutely hated coming to Rocky's house, though calling it a house was the understatement of the century. The mansion was three times as big as Kimberly's house, with wrought iron gates that would give the queen of England a feminine hard on. She never understood why a house would need five bathrooms while only three people lived in it; two if you factor in Rocky's father's frequent deployments to Iraq.

Kimberly parked her mostly grey Rav-4 at the front of the gates and looked up to where she knew the camera was so her face was completely visible. A few moments later the gates parted to allow her entrance.

_I feel like I'm in an action film._

Kimberly shook her head and tried not to think about the reason she hated coming here. Aisha had called her squealing hysterically, begging her to help her with God knows what. She had hung up the phone before Kimberly could get one word in. But Kimberly was feeling a lot better today, her waive of nausea last about an hour or two after she woke up. Her mission now was to get Aisha out of whatever funk she was in so she could enjoy the rest of the day with her friends.

Kimberly made her way to the parking lot, got out of her car and walked to the front door, internally preparing herself.

_God if only someone would believe me…_

The last time she mentioned it they all laughed at her, but she knew she wasn't crazy. She would just have to watch her own back when it came to this.

She rung the doorbell and waited for a response, constantly listening out for her foul enemy inside.

"Kimmy! Nice to see you on such a fine evening!" Rocky said a little too enthusiastically and she pulled her into a bear hug. Was he drunk or something?

"Rocky, don't call me that," said Kimberly as she tried to break out of the hug to look around him. "Where is Aisha?"

"Are you sure it's Sha you're looking for?" Rocky said while wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Kimberly glared at him, "I know none of you believe me about that… that pervert you're calling a pet! But I swear to you Rocky, the next time that pup looks up my skirt I'm going to neuter him!"

Rocky burst out laughing, "Leave it to you Kimberly to think that my dog is giving her the eye."

"He is!" she argued.

Rocky just stood there giving her a blank stare.

Kimberly threw her hands up and walked into the foyer, "Fine. Don't believe me. But if you see your bull dog walking around with no balls, just know it was me to cut them off."

She looked back to him, hands on her hips. "Now where is Sha?"

Rocky wrapped his right arm around her shoulders, "Right this way, my lady."

Kimberly rolled her eyes and allowed him to lead her through the foyer as they ahead towards the living room…

"SUURRRPPPRRIIIIZZZEEEE!"

* * *

Now Kimberly knew her friends didn't really forget her birthday-she figured they'd be up to something- but she had no idea they were going to this extent! Granted, it wasn't everyday a girl turn eighteen.

Wrapping paper torn from her gifts scattered about the humungous living room which seemed like it had been built for the sole purpose of entertaining guest. The crystal chandelier hung majestically from the high ceilings, spilling light across faces, highlighting everyone she held close to her heart. Gifts were piled haphazardly in a corner as testimony that she was indeed loved by her family and friends.

Rocky's house was jammed packed with people she barely recognized, but is to be expected. As soon as word about a party got out at AGH, it would spread like wild fire. As it were, the only people she recognized were her fellow rangers, a few cheerleaders and gymnast, and Alec, who had started to avoid her altogether.

They all brought presents, so she wasn't about to complain. Tommy was nice enough to bring Mr and Mrs Oliver's present over.

"Tell your Mom thanks for me Tommy."

Tommy had successfully stolen away Kimberly from the party, which he found was as hard as trigonometric III. She was the life of the party, and tearing her away from the cheerleader den that was presently occupying Rocky's living room took all of his efforts had strength, and both were not meager by any means.

Where he was utterly shy and modest, Kimberly was jubilant, outgoing and always the center of attention. They were polar opposites, yet they fit perfectly together.

Yin and Yang.

Tommy pulled her close against his chest as he finally found a little niche tucked in the corner of one the extensive hallways on the second floor, free of all teenagers. The hallway was poorly lit, but then, that was perfect for what he wanted.

He wrapped his hands around Kimberly waist as she circled his neck with her arms. The white top she was wearing lifted slightly due to her up-stretched arms, revealing more of her middle section. Tommy caressed the warm area at the arc of her back, sliding his hands lower to grip her firm back side. God, how he loved the feel of her.

"Tommy." Kimberly gave him a slight shake to get his attention.

Tommy jerked as if coming awake from a trance, "Huh?"

Kimberly shook her head and smirked, "I said I want you to tell your parents thank you, you know, for the gift."

"Oh yea sure," he said as he looked away from her eyes and back down to where she was bare beneath his palms, "Have you always been this sexy? You look so sexy today." He couldn't help but grip her tight little ass through her jean shorts.

"Huh uh…" Kimberly mused. "And I bet you're not just saying that because you are rock hard and want to get laid." She pushed her body tighter against his frame, emphasizing the fact that she could feel the bulge in his jeans pressing against her stomach.

Tommy gave her a toothy grin, one that always made her a little giddy, "Well, that too."

She playfully pulled away from him, slapped him on the arm and pretended to wake away.

Tommy grabbed her from behind and pulled her back against him, nuzzling the side of her neck. If she didn't know any better she'd think his animal spirit was a house kitten and not the mighty Falcon.

"Come on babe, we have to get back to the party. It's almost time to cut the cake."

Tommy whimpered like a wounded dog as he allowed her to escape him. Kimberly laughed out loud, "Oh stop being a spoiled sport. Go on down, I just have to run to the ladies room real quick."

Tommy playfully pouted as he watched her disappear around the corner. He knew one day Kimberly was going to kill him with her teasing. Right now he was so hard he might shatter if he tried to move.

But he loved her, teasing and all. Damn her straight to hell for it.

Tommy reluctantly descended the stairs to rejoin the party. Aisha was standing besides Rocky leaning over to light the candles on the cake. Tommy tried to ignore the sight of Rocky drooling as he scoped out Aisha's ass. The expression on his face was truly Kodak.

Adam came up beside him and whacked him hard on the shoulder, clearly reprimanding him.

"What!" Rocky feigned innocence.

Adam glared at him just long enough for him to get the picture, then walked back over to where Billy and some other friends were standing.

Rocky looked over to Tommy, "Hey Oliver, where's the birthday girl? It's time for some cake."

"Tommy used his thumb to point over to the staircase, "She'll be right down. Just using the restroom."

Rocky smile immediately fell form his face, replaced by a look that said he was so dead, "On the second floor?"

"Yea, why?" Tommy didn't understand his misplaced concern.

"Oh shit." Rocky panicked as he moved to run over to the staircase, but before he could move an inch, the sound of Kimberly's shrill cry echoed throughout the house.

Above the blasting music.

* * *

Tommy was laughing so hard he could barely keep his eyes on the road. Kimberly was seated in the passenger seat of his Range, arms crossed across her chest, furious and embarrassed. And the fact that her beloved found humor in her complete humiliation just made matters worse. He had been laughing since he burst through the restroom door, and had yet to stop.

**FLASHBACK**

Kimberly pushed open the bathroom door, eager to take care of her business. She walked over to the commode, removed her barriers and did what she needed to do. Finished now, she made move to pull her shorts up when she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. As she looked towards the movement, she felt her heart drop to her stomach.

_Dozer…_

There he stood in all his glory, blocking the door with his short white frame. Dozer, Kimberly's worse enemy. She hadn't given the pup a second thought as she was distracted by her party, and she and hadn't seen him all night. Apparently he had been locked in the bathroom, for her own well being she figured.

And now here she was, trapped with him staring at her with his tongue lopped out of his mouth while breathing ruggedly.

_What is he staring at?_

Then Kimberly remembered she was still sitting on the commode, with her short half way done her calves.

And her privates totally exposed.

Kimberly gasped and stood up, quickly pulling her shorts up, "Oh you pervert!"

The bull dog seemed to grin at her, then took a step forward.

Kimberly froze. Her eyes wide with fear, terrified to move. "What are you doing?"

No sooner had the words left her lips, Dozer charged at her, tongue bouncing at his pace.

Kimberly could do no more than stand there, and scream for her life.

**END FLASHBACK**

Tommy and what seemed like the entire house of guest came rushing through the bathroom door shortly after, clearly tipped off by her scream.

"You can stop laughing now you ape!" Kimberly spat at her "boyfriend" with as much venom in her voice as she could manage.

"Ok you're right, I'm sorry," Tommy forced him self to stop laughing and glanced at her. "But you know, it's not everyday a guy finds his girlfriend cheating on him with an English bull dog." Tommy burst out with another fit of laughter.

Oh he was so dead. He was deader than dead. "I swear to God Tommy Oliver if you don't stop laughing I'm going to kill you, you hear me? I'm going to kill you so bad the new word for dead will be Tommy! So from now on when people talk about death they'll say 'You are so Tommy'!"

Tommy tried to recover. "Ok I'll stop." He stole his eyes away from the road to glance at her. "But even you have to admit it was kind of funny."

Kimberly looked at him like he grew three more heads, "I find absolutely nothing funny about having my leg dry humped by forty pounds of scum! Especially since I fell and he climbed up to hump my ass!"

Tommy was trying very hard to maintain composure but he was two seconds away from slipping, "Well I don't know how dry the hump was Kimberly. I think I saw something wet streaming down your leg." And that was enough to throw him back into a fit of laughter.

Kimberly ground her teeth as she tried not to hit him across the head, "Oh you are soooo in the dog house."

He suddenly stopped laughing, looked at her, and burst into laughter that was louder than before.

Of course she had to make a dog reference. She could kick herself.

The ride home from Rocky's house was usually short, but not tonight. Tommy's taunting was starting to get to her, but she couldn't help but smile inside. He was even more handsome when he laughed, and his genuine belly laugh pleased her deeply. He had been through a lot in his young life; had experienced a lot more dark days than she ever had.

It was good to see him laugh. Even if it was at her.

It was just after 11:00 p.m. when Tommy pulled into Kimberly's driveway. All the lights were off in the house, but Kimberly knew her mother was still awake.

"Even though I would have preferred not to be sexually assaulted by a bull dog," Kimberly turned towards Tommy to look into his eyes, "this was one of the best days of my life. Thank you." She leaned over to place a soft kiss on his lips.

She leaned back over to her side, turning to exit when he held on to her hand. "Just a sec Kim."

Kimberly turned around to face him with a small frown on her face.

"I have something for you."

Kimberly's heart melted. Even now after everything they had been through together, he would always get a little hesitant and shy when he was trying to be romantic. And for some reason she thought it was the cutest thing about him.

Tommy turned around, and reached into the pocket on the side of his door to retrieve her present. When he turned around, he saw the big smile on her face.

"Awe Tommy, you already got me something, remember Mr. Forgetful?"

Tommy rolled his eyes, "you didn't think I only got you a leotard for you birthday, did you?"

Kimberly took the small wrapped box from his hands, "Well yea, I honestly did."

He shook his head, "This is your real gift," he leaned over to nuzzle her neck. "Happy birthday Beautiful."

"Thank you Handsome." She hurriedly pulled the wrappings off the box and froze as she saw the name written on top.

_Vera Wang…_

_It couldn't be. Surely he didn't…_

But she could deny it no more as she opened the box, revealing the diamond bracelet she had been drooling over for three months now. But she knew all she could do was drool. She would never have been able to afford it. And yet here it was in her hands. How did he know? She didn't even tell Aisha about it.

She pulled back to take Tommy's head out of the corner of her neck so she could look into his eyes, "how did you know?" The inquiry came out as a whisper, her voice suffocating beneath a pillow of emotions.

Tommy shrugged, "I'm just very perceptive."

Kimberly grabbed the front of his white button down shirt, pulled him towards her and kissed the bejesus out of him.

When she pulled away his head was still swimming. He kept his eyes closed and shuddered. "Wow… I think I'm gonna get you jewelry more often."

She looked down at the box in her hands and then looked back up at him with an expression that seared into his heart. "Of everything I love in this world, I love you the most."

Her statement was enough to totally disarm him. If he had ever had any reservation about what he had with Kimberly, they would have been gone now. He didn't trust his voice to reply, as he was choking on the amount of love he felt for her.

So he tried to tell her he loved her the best way he could think of. He kissed her.

Completely.

Thoroughly. Taking his time to make sure she heard what he was trying to tell her. What no word in any language could properly tell her. The kiss was not about lust or passion.

It was love in its purest form.

He pulled away from her, knowing he was now looking at her with stars in his eyes. It didn't matter to him that he was being utterly sappy, that if Rocky saw his face right now he would never be able to live it down. Nothing mattered now except the woman in front of him.

She gently caressed his cheek and smiled at him, "Call me before you close your eyes tonight."

He inclined his head to her, bowing in an Old World fashion.

She gave him another short sweet kiss before she left the car.

Tommy watched as she made her way to the front door, looking back at him before she closed it. Starting up his engine, he headed toward his house, still high off his sweetest drug.

* * *

Tommy came through his front door whistling, still tasting the sweetness of his Beautiful on his lips. He tucked his keys in his pants and headed for the stairs.

"Tommy, would you come here for a second please son?"

Tommy paused at the obviously distressed tone in his mother voice she was trying to hide.

He ran down the stairs to the living room where his mother voice came from. Pulling up short as he reached the livingroom, he saw his father's head resting in his mother's lap.

Crying.

Tommy was eighteen years old, and he never once saw his father cry… about anything. Not once in eighteen years. It was enough to raise his own panic.

"What's… what's wrong?"

Jan looked up from her husband, her eyes rimmed with red. She saw the panicked expression her son wore and wished she couldn't soften the blow

"It's your grandfather Tommy. He… he's…"

Jan choked up as she fell into another set of tears…

* * *

**Author's note:** The movie the rangers watched is called HERO, staring Jet Li. I swear I had to watch it four times before I understood what was going on. But it's a great movie, if you understand it lol


	5. Chapter 5

**As always, thank you all so much for reviewing. It's like getting paid on a Friday afternoon. I really do appreciate you all taking the time to read this.**

**Like I said previously, this fic takes on a more "realistic" view of our favorite teenagers. They speak in anger, they hurt each other, they breathe, they cry and they bleed. Please keep this in mind from this point on in the story. **

**I OWN NOTHING!**

_**Thoughts are in italics (and for the sake of this chapter, so are memories). **_

_**Find me here, and speak to me. I want to feel you, I need to hear you. **_

_**Cant you her me calling you? I need you.**_

_**You are my everything…**_

**Link: .com/watch?v=nLIUnbn3III&playnext=1&list=PLD4F976C0874EA5AA**

**Chapter 5**

"_What do you hear?"_

_Nothing. What was there to be heard? They stood in the middle of no where, miles away from the main fields and toward the mines. Not the shrill cry of the Raven up above them, ever seeking a mouth full of prey; it would be hard if not impossible for any worms to survive in this dry area of the land. Not the blazing mufflers on cars as their owners raced home to their families. Not the evening wind that whistled through the trees, announcing that the terrible heat was about to break. He heard absolutely nothing._

_But that was unacceptable. The question wouldn't have been asked if there was nothing to be heard. So he stopped listening for what he expected. He paused, stood as still as he could, and waited for what was supposed to come to him._

"_The river…"_

_Yes, he could hear it now. Ebbing. Flowing. Streaming down through jagged rocks to feed the trees on its banks. To carry life. It flowed with the gentle ease of gravity. It flowed with patience. With agility. With grace._

"_That river is a good distance from us. You are learning."_

_His heart grew with pride, but he remained still and silent. _

"_What do you feel?"_

_He tried to ignore the sweat soaking his eyebrows. It was sunset, yet the heat was almost intolerable. The humidity hung in the air like pregnant clouds, threatening to suffocate him. _

"_My heart beating."_

_He heard the man chuckle. "Aye, you feel the beat of your heart, yet I feel the sun roasting my skin. Do you not feel it, Cucu? Or is the thunder in your heart fiercer than the flames of the sun?"_

_He chose to remain silent as he was caught in a lie._

"_Open you eyes Cucu Lelaki."_

_He slowly peeled back his eyelids, witnessing the sun descending the horizon. It colored the sky orange, the color way too close to the almost red clay that lay in front of him. Yet with the torturous sun threatening to peel his skin from his bones, it was the most magnificent thing he's ever beheld. With nothing in sight except the majestic sun taking its leave, he waiting for his grandfather to come from behind him. Caught in a lie, he knew there would be repercussions. He was not about to let the endearment his grandfather used distract him, though it always warmed him when he called him his precious grandson. _

_He saw Annakie come around to face him; with his eyes half hooded and filled with suspicion, almost hidden by the black cowboy hat pulled forward. His long jet black hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, similar to the one cascading down his own back. _

_He bent over towards him then, looking him straight in the eyes. "What do you see?"_

"_I see…" He started to answer until Annakie's fist came straight towards his face. Self preservation kicked in causing him to duck the blow, but lost his balance from the basketball he had been standing on for about an hour without wavering. With a loud "woofff!" on the dry ground he fell on the flat of his back, knocking the air out of his lungs._

_His eleven year old body ached all over as he scrambled himself in a sitting position, glaring at his grandfather. "That's cheating Aki, I was not expecting it."_

_He watched as Annakie crouched beside him. "Aye Cucu. That was the point."_

"_But I thought this was a balance lesson, why were you asking me those questions? And why the cheap shot?"_

"_No no. This was a test of your strength."_

"_My strength? I don't understand Aki. I was not lifting anything."_

_His grandfather reached over to left side of his chest, the wrinkled palm placed firmly over his heart. "The strongest muscles inside your body make up your heart. It is nothing but the size of your tiny fist, yet it manages to feed your entire body, including itself, with the nourishment needed to sustain it. Yet it is not the physical strength of the heart falters at times. You must strengthen your heart with patience and vigilance, because you will not always know what surrounds you, what threatens your eternal balance. But still you should be able to stand; balanced on your two feet, no matter what unexpectedly strikes. _

"_I don't understand, grandfather."_

_He watched his grandfather's smile widen across his face as he annoying ruffled his hair. _

"_You will with time, but now get back on the ball. And no more lying to your Aki."_

…_**Fade out**…_

Tommy sat in his room with his hair damped and hanging around his face. The water dripped from his head on to the bed linens, lining that area around him with small gray dots from the soaked spots. The white towel riding low on his hips was the only clothing he wore, as he sat staring out his window, the only source providing light to the room.

He sat as memories ripped through him. Memories that had once filled him with happiness, with overwhelming pride that he was trained by the best out there. Memories that had comforted him when he felt incompetent or weak.

Now they assaulted him with such ferocity he could barely breathed from them.

His grandfather was dead. Just like that. He was gone and he would never see him again.

Tommy sat staring out the window, yet he sat as a blind man. It was dark all around him. He saw no window, no light. No hope or peace.

All was silent around him.

And how ironic it was that now he felt absolutely nothing but the shrilling beat of his own heart?

"Tommy?"

He turned his head towards the source of his mother's timid voice. He should have probably dried himself after getting out of the shower, but who cared? The heat would come and take away the water. A lot was taken from him these days.

"Are you going to school today son?"

Tommy turned back around to face the window. _School._ What was the use? Sooner or later he would die, what use would school be then?

"Not today."

Jan took a deep breath and tried to be patient with her son. She had known Tommy was hurt, as they all were, but she was slowly becoming more worried about his grieving. But his attitude shouldn't have surprised her. He had always chosen to fight his battles on his own and in his own way, especially when it came to his emotions.

She knew how close Grandpa Oliver and Tommy had been. Growing up, Tommy's frequent arguments always started off with "But Aki said…", and like Tommy, Annakie Oliver was also adopted into the Oliver family. He had learned Martial Arts from his own father and had passed everything he knew on to Tommy.

Tommy had protested adamantly when he was to receive his first haircut. He wanted to look just like his Aki, and only trimmed it when it had been growing longer than his grandfather's. To this day Tommy still wore his hair in a ponytail, but seized to call his grandfather "Aki" when his grandmother died.

Louise had come from the Tonto Apache reservation in Arizona, and had taught the language to her husband. Tommy had picked up a few words over the years growing up around his grandparents, and had started calling his grandfather "Aki" when he learned it meant "grandfather." But the word had always saddened Annakie after Louise passed, so Tommy started call him Papaou, still paying respect to his wife's native tribe. It had touched Annakie deeply.

Now she watched her son resorting inside and shutting himself away from everyone as he often did when he was hurting. She hated it, but she was trying to be patient.

"Baby I know you're hurting, but pushing everyone away is not what your Aki would have wanted. You have to let us in. Grieve with the rest of us."

She saw him flinch as if she'd struck him. She had hoped that using the endearment would have helped in drawing him out, but instead it seemed to have hurt him more.

"Not today."

She felt like protesting, but she knew her son well. He would have to help himself. No amount of pushing was going to help.

"Ok Tommy. Not today."

Jan went back through his door and quietly closed it, helping her son shut himself away from the world. Her heart heavier than it had been two minutes ago, Jan went back to the kitchen.

With tears swimming in her eyes.

* * *

"Apparently the memory alternator works like a charm. Seems like Chello doesn't remember a thing about the attack."

Adam looked over his shoulder to glance back at Chello still sitting Buddha style on the floor mats, where Kimberly was addressing the cheerleaders. Ponytail high with loose strands surrounding her pale heart shaped face, she was absolutely stunning. She wore very little makeup and almost always wore her hair pulled back. Except for yesterday…

She turned then and caught him staring at her. She gave him a tentative smile, winked at him and then turned her attention back to Kimberly. Adam blushed slightly, realizing she caught him ogling her, and maybe knew exactly what he was thinking.

"She definitely doesn't remember."

Billy looked back and forth between Chello and Adam and quickly caught on to the exchange. "So you finally did it huh?"

Adam reluctantly tore his gaze away from Chello to regard his friend in blue. "Yea I did, among other things."

Billy almost choked on his drink. Adam had to pat him on the back to help him recover. "No…you didn't."

"Yes… I did," Adam replied in the same bewildered tone Billy used, "And boy, she was everything I expected, plus a whole lot more." Adam closed his eyes trying to remember exactly how it felt to have those soft warm hands wrapped around his cock, how it felt when her velvet folds gave away to his throbbing…

Billy almost choked again when he heard Adam groan deep in his throat. "Surely you aren't having fantasies about what ever it is you and Chello participated in while sitting this close to me. I would think it would rather be difficult to explain your hard on to by-passers. If being a nerd isn't already ruining my dating life, I would very much hate for people to start thinking I'm gay."

Adam cleared his throat and moved his erection around to give it breathing room. "Sorry man, although those muscle shirts you've been sporting doesn't exactly help your cause."

Billy launched his empty paper cup at Adams's head. Adam quickly ducked it and chuckled at his friend. Billy had abandoned his overalls and glasses a couple months back and embraced his new swag. Adam hadn't the slightest idea that Billy was that ripped. The first day he came walking into History after his "makeover" all their mouths dropped open, including Stacy whom he had dated for months. Other than his very complex way of talking, which clearly would stick around forever, there was no giving away Billy's love for science and technology.

"I'm just joking man. And the only reason your dating life sucks is because you keep turning everybody down that's been asking you out," Adam chuckled slightly. "For someone who looks and dresses like Johnny Bravo, you sure have a lot more luck than him."

If Billy had another cup he would have thrown it at his friend again. "I refuse to engage in a relationship where the female only sees the physical. Most of them didn't acknowledge my existence until after I grew out my overalls. No thank you."

"And Stacy?"

Billy sighed, "She still won't talk to me."

Adam reached out a friendly arm and placed it on Billy's shoulder, "Give her some time man, she'll come around."

"Who'll come around?"

Billy turned around to see Rocky and Aisha approaching, smoothies in hands. Aisha was wearing her long braids pulled back by a yellow head band, and a matching top that barely went down to her navel. Her tight blue jeans hugged her in all the right places, emphasizing her broad hips and round ass. Something Rocky very much appreciated.

"That is an inquiry I would expect to hear from your very inquisitive boyfriend, Aisha. Is his tasteless personality rubbing off on you?"

Rocky pretended to scratch his eyebrows with his middle finger. "I love you too, blue."

Billy nodded. "Duly noted."

As Rocky and Aisha sat down at the table, Aisha's eyes wondered over to where Kimberly was standing with the rest of the cheerleaders on the floor mats. They seemed to be rapping up. She looked back at Billy. "How is your ankle feeling?"

Billy sighed with relief. "It stopped burning two days ago, thank God."

Adam whipped his head around towards Billy. "It stopped? Mine still burns like a bitch!"

That revelation should have startled Billy, but it didn't. He had assumed Adam's and Kimberly's symptoms disappeared when his did, and that's why he didn't ask about it. But now he feared his theory was right.

"Is Kimberly still nauseated?" Billy asked Aisha.

Aisha nodded. "She says it comes in waves now, but it persists." She looked over to where Kim was dismissing the cheerleaders. "I think you guys should go see a doctor."

Billy shook his head. "I do not think that is necessary Aisha." As Aisha was about to protest he held his hand up and stop her. "I understand that you are worried about us, but I think I know the reason why we haven't gotten over these symptoms yet."

Rocky looked at Billy knowingly. "The amulet."

Billy nodded. "I think it's another safeguard. Even though we were successful in retrieving it, I'm afraid we did not go unscathed."

"So what are you saying?" Adam asked.

"I think so long as the amulet is still intact, so will our symptoms be."

"But that's impossible blue," Rocky replied. "You just said that your ankles don't burn anymore."

"And Aisha said Kim's nausea came in waves. Maybe the burning will start again."

"This is ridiculous!" Adam was getting quite irritated with the constant burning around his ankles. "That thing is indestructible! We've tried for hours and gave it everything we've got. Are you telling me we're gonna live with this nuisance forever?"

Billy looked at them meaningfully. "We have to destroy it."

"And how do you propose we do that, especially now that we are short a ranger?"

Everyone grew silent. The elephant in the room.

They've all tried to see Tommy after they heard about the passing of his grandfather. The only person that had been successful in seeing him was Billy, and that was only because he was the first to try to visit. Needless to say, the visit was rather short with Tommy all but throwing him out, saying he needed some time alone.

When Billy came and told them all this, they still tried to see him, but Mrs. Oliver didn't let them, saying Tommy asked for time alone.

"Tommy just needs some time to cope, I'm sure. He'll be Ok once he has adequate time to grieve. It's only been three days." Though Billy said this, there wasn't much conviction in his voice.

Aisha cleared her throat, reverting back to the subject. "I still think you three should see a doctor, just to be safe. What if something else is going on?"

Adam sighed, knowing that Aisha would keep nagging until they all went. "Ok Sha, I'll go."

She turned to look at Billy adamantly.

Billy rolled his eyes. "That's not going to…"

Aisha kicked him under the table.

"Ouch! Fine! I'll go."

"That's more like it." Aisha smiled proudly.

"Let's see you try that with Pinky." Rocky used his chin to indicate Kimberly, as she walked over to the table they were sitting at the center of the juice bar.

"Cheerleaders ready for a killer competition this weekend!" Kimberly skipped over to Adam, and forced him to scoot over, giving her half his chair. She then took his drink from him just as he was about to take a sip.

"Hey!"

Kimberly didn't regard him as she sipped his orange soda through the straw.

"Billy was just saying that he thinks you three should go see a doctor for the symptoms you've been having." Aisha interjected.

Kimberly wrinkled her forehead. "Since when do we go to the doctor for ranger injuries?"

"That's what I said."

Billy's mumbled was barely audible, but Aisha decided to kick him anyway.

"Ow!"

She looked back at Kimberly. "Since you have been suffering from the 'injuries' for a little over a week now. None of our injuries have ever lasted this long."

Kimberly passively rubbed her stomach that had barely given her a break since her birthday. But she had a feeling that her body was upset because of something way more important to her than a lasting after math of a ranger mission. She tried not to think about that, however.

"So you are both gonna go see a doctor?" she looked at Adam and Billy.

Adam nodded. "Only because we're being forced."

Kimberly chuckled. "Ok then, Aisha. I'll take your advice, because I know its not Billy's, and I'll see a doctor K?"

Aisha nodded. "Ok. And while you are taking my advice, I think you should go see Tommy again."

Kimberly retracted into herself, and it was visible to all at the table. "He doesn't want to see anyone Aisha."

Aisha pressed on. "Yes, but…"

"No buts Sha. He'll reach out to us when he's ready ok?"

Aisha nodded slowly, but kept her eyes fastened on Kim.

The table grew silent as the air grew thick around them.

After a long pause, Rocky decided to break the silence. "Look, we all love him and want to be there for him, but we've all done the best we can."

No one said anything, and Aisha was still staring over the table at Kimberly, where she hadn't looked up from the cup she was holding, refusing to meet Aisha's stare.

"Does anyone know anything about funeral arrangements?" Rocky continued.

"It's this Saturday." Kimberly supplied in a whisper. "Mrs. Oliver mentioned it when she told me about the passing on Sunday over the phone." She looked up at them. "They are flying in his body to Arizona, and the Olivers are flying down there tomorrow afternoon."

"The funeral is this Saturday? The same day as your cheerleading competition?" Adam was flabbergasted. Kim had been making plans for the competition even though she knew it and the funeral was on the same day?

Kim's eyes flared at Adam. "Did any of you get an invite to the funeral?"

Once again they all grew silent.

"Well neither did I." She stood up suddenly and grabbed her gym bag off the floor. "Look I got a lot of homework and routines to work on so…"

"Hey, Can I ride home with you? Rocky's gonna help out Adam with Tommy's class in a few minutes and I don't feel like waiting."

Kimberly looked back and forth between Rocky and Aisha. She didn't need this right now. She just wanted to go home, calm down and not think about…..him.

"No problem Sha. Let's go."

She turned around and headed for the door with Aisha close on her heels.

Billy watched the girls go, and then turned to Rocky. "I thought you and Aisha had plans after the class?"

"So did I." Rocky said as he took a long sip of his chocolate smoothie.

* * *

Just a little more filing on each side would make it perfect. How long had it been since her last manicure anyway? Aisha wasn't sure, but this was a perfect time to buff her nails into acceptable condition. Maybe she would stop by the salon after school tomorrow if it was still opened. Perhaps even get a pedicure while she was there…

"Aisha, in case you haven't noticed, we are parked outside your house."

"Oh I noticed." Aisha wondered if she was buffing her thumb nail too much. It was getting to be a little shorter than…

"Then why are you still sitting here?"

Aisha dropped the nail buffer back into her pencil case and tucked it away into one of the smaller compartments of her yellow back pack. After doing way with it, she turned and looked at Kimberly meaningfully. "Because I am not leaving this car until you talk to me. Though you seem to have forgotten, I am your best friend and I care about what's going on with you. And I intend to find out what it is no matter how hard you try to fold yourself up into that little bubble of yours."

Kimberly looked away from Aisha, hiding the hurt and frustration in her eyes. She adored Sha. The only other person she had ever confided in other than Tommy was Trini, but Aisha had a spirit that one could almost sense was pure and warm. She hated to hurt her, and hated herself because of it. But how could she understand?

"You didn't go to see him, did you?"

Kimberly flinched away from the accusation. From the truth. She turned to look outside through her car door window, trying to hide the tears that were now threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Talk to me Kim, I'm your best friend." Aisha reached over and gave Kimberly a reassuring touch on her fore arm. "Talk to me."

"And say what Sha!" Kimberly whipped around, unable to stop her emotions from boiling over. "What do you want me to say? That I'm scared shitless that my own boyfriend, the one person I have ever truly loved will reject me? Do you want me to tell you that I don't think I can face the fact that he will shut me out if I try to reach out to him? Is that what you want to hear Aisha?"

"Kimberly…"

Kimberly looked away from her, trying to calm herself and stop the tears flooding down her face. "You weren't there ok. And even if you were, you wouldn't have a clue what it felt like."

Aisha was confused now. "I don't understand…"

Kimberly slouched in her seat, closed her eyes and sighed. "The first time he kissed me was after he lost his powers the first time." She smiled to herself. "He was so shy with me back then. So careful. When he took my hand and I saw him lean in, I couldn't breathe. When our lips finally touched, that very moment paused and hovered for much more than a moment." She looked over at Aisha. "It was epic. I know it sound silly, like some valley girl cliché but… I knew then Aisha. I knew it was more than a crush- I've had crushes before. There was something else there. Something… something more…

Aisha gave her a soft smile and a reassuring nod, encouraging her to go on.

Kimberly sighed and looked away. "Our relationship was only a few weeks old when he lost his green ranger powers permanently. He left Angel Grove shortly after to get away from…it all."

Ok, now Aisha understood where this was going. "It must have been really hard for him being around you guys and not be a power ranger any more."

Kimberly wiped at her eyes. "I know, and that's why I tried not to push him to come back. I told him to take all the time he needed, and that he should call if he needed me."

Aisha felt a stab of guilt for pushing Kimberly into this conversation. They had many conversations in the past about Kimberly's feelings on her father bailing out on their family. By the look on her best friends face, she could tell Kimberly was now wrestling those old demons.

Kimberly looked back at her, and she had never seen so much pain in those dark brown eyes. "He didn't need me."

"Oh Kim…"

"I called him, text him, emailed him, and nothing… after that I gave up. Then I thought, was it just me? Did he not feel what I felt when we kissed? All that time we spent together? Was I just delusional?"

Aisha shook her head. "Kimberly Tommy's in love with you! You know this. Shoot, we all know it! He starts drooling every time you're near him."

"Deep down I know that, but why does he shut me out like this? He and I talked about this before Sha. When he came back as the white ranger I told him how it made me feel."

"Kimberly, you know how men are."

Kimberly turned away from her. "It's more than that. You don't understand…"

"Then make me understand."

Kimberly wasn't sure how to explain what she was feeling, or if she was sure she wanted to tell anyone.

Aisha watched Kimberly looking out her window, clearly withdrawing from the conversation. "Make me understand Kimberly."

Kimberly ran a nervous hand through her hair, pushing back the dark brown strands from her face. She looked down on her lap, watching herself play with the steering wheel. "I don't know Aisha," her voice barely more than a whisper, "I may be going crazy, but I feel this pressure inside my chest. Like some vital part of me died. I know that must be the silliest thing you ever heard. I just…"

Kimberly look back to Aisha, "We are connected some how. I don't understand it, and it's definitely scary as hell, but we are."

So Kimberly was right. Aisha really didn't understand. "What do you mean 'connected'?"

Kimberly shook her head. "It's hard to explain." Kimberly looked away again. "We only feel it when we're together but…"

"Oh so you feel it all the time…"

Kimberly glared at her. "Not that kind of together. I mean when we're too-ge-therrrr…"

Aisha chuckled. "Ohhhh…"

Kimberly rolled her eyes.

Aisha sobered. "So you feel connected to him when you're having sex. I hate to break it to you Kim, but everybody feels that way during sex. I mean technically you are connected to him…"

"Ha ha funny, but that's not what I mean. I feel connected to him, like I'm apart of him. Like he's apart of me. I feel what he's feeling, I hear his heart beating, a strange humming in his ears, and I feel his desire to please me."

Aisha paled. "You feel what he feels? Like everything?"

"Yes and no. I start to feel it when it starts getting intense. I feel his pleasure as well as my own. And our hearts… they beat in sync."

Aisha gaped. "You're messing with me, aren't ya?"

Kimberly folded her arms. "That right there is why I didn't want to tell you."

"I'm sorry Kimberly, its just wow! How can that be? Do you have any idea how crazy this sounds?"

Kimberly whirled around with fire in her eyes. "Yes Aisha, I know how crazy it sounds. And you know what is even crazier? Tommy is locking himself away from me, and I feel like somebody tore my heart out. Like the best part of me is missing. So I'm not just being an airhead teen driven by hormones, ok? Tommy feels the connection too when we make love, so I know I'm not delusional."

Aisha tried to understand what her best friend was telling her. "You think this has something to do with what Dulcea told you?"

"We definitely think so. The point of all this is... well… damn I don't even know. I just wanted you to understand that what Tommy and I have goes way beyond what either us really understand. And it's exciting and scary at the same time. But when he shouts himself off from me like this I…"

"You feel abandoned."

Kimberly glared at her again. "Don't make this about my father."

And that confirmed her suspicions. "I didn't say that it was." But Aisha thought it better to not go there, especially now. "But with all this Kim, we both know you are going to see him."

Apparently Aisha knew her too well. Kimberly sighed and hung her head low. "What if he doesn't need me, like he didn't before?"

Aisha smiled and placed a reassuring hand on Kim's shoulder. "What if he does?"

* * *

She stood inside her closet, wrapped in a fluffy pink towel, absent mindedly filing through her clothes hanging in front of her. Every so often she would pause on a certain top or dress and a million memories would assail her. It was so, too, when she was applying lotion to her skin earlier, remembering how Tommy had reacted to her favorite fragrance from Bath and Body Works:

"_Mmmm… you smell so good." _He had said.

"_It's a lotion, its called Sensual Amber."_

"_Sensual, hmm…very apropos…"_

She had laughed then. He had read The Odyssey by Homer a few days before and had an obsession then with everything Greek. It was short lived though, to her fortune.

"Apropos." Kimberly chuckled while still filing through her clothes.

She decided to go with the long fuchsia top that would go well with a pair of designer leggings her mother picked up for her over the weekend. Kimberly pulled the top down from the hanger, causing a slight space between the rest of her clothes. OCD as she was, she started to move the hangers over to fill the space that revealed a row of clothes towards the back of the closet.

As she moved stuff around, she caught sight of something white in her peripheral. Towards her left on the back row, a white piece of clothing stuck out among her older pink dresses. Kimberly reached back and pulled it from amongst the bundle that was tightly packed, struggling to get it free.

There in her hand was a short legged white overall, one she had completely forgotten about. One that held one of the most bittersweet memories she had. It was what she was wearing when she found out Zordon was replacing Tommy on the team, when she saw the white ranger descending into the power chamber, when she passed out overwhelmed with shock, and when she saw the most beautiful thing in her life: her Handsome, the new white ranger smiling down at her.

"_I can't believe it. Is it really you?"_

"_In the flesh."_

Her love had come back to her. She had been high with happiness and so grateful to Zordon that he had chosen Tommy for the job. But soon after that she wondered if that had been the only reason he came back. If there wasn't a new position to be filled, would he have ever returned? Would she have been enough?

Later on that that night on the roof of the command center, they had a long discussion about his absence and him shouting her out. He had done a perfect job of apologizing to her, and told her for the first time that he was in love with her. With the cool night breeze against their skin and the star hanging brightly above their heads, he had kissed her until her lips were swollen, until her breaths were uneven, and until her body was all liquid. They had been in eternal bliss ever since.

Until now.

Kimberly rubbed her palm against the semi soft texture of the jeans overall. She was here again on the outside, second guessing herself and what she had with Tommy. She shook the memories free from her mind, placed the overall back in its place and went out into her bedroom to get dressed.

Now in her nude leggings and fuchsia top that ended right under her buttocks, she quickly applied light foundation and very little blush. Combing her hair down, it fell at the mound of her breast, the longest she had ever worn it. She fingered the layers until they weren't too big and smoothed it down the length. She turned from the dresser to slip her feet into her beige and light pink wedge heel slip ons, then turn to look at her full length in the mirror on the back of her closet door.

So this was it. She was going to see him with rejection hanging in the horizon.

"He loves you. You know this…" she recited out loud.

She reached over and picked up the communicator from the dresser and fastened it to her wrist. With the many duties bestowed on the rangers, there weren't many rewards outside of the feeling you got knowing you saved several thousand lives on a day to day basis. Because of this, Zordon allowed them one pleasure: the use of their communicators at will, provided they did not abuse it. It came in handy at times like these when trying to avoid the possibility of your boyfriend's mother turning you away at the door. Mrs Oliver would probably let her see Tommy regardless, but that wasn't a risk Kimberly wanted to take tonight.

Looking at herself in the mirror one last time, she lifted her wrist and teleported out of her room.

And into his.

Moments after pink swirls of neon light dissipated, Kimberly was submerged in a quiet darkness. As her eyes adjusted to the change in lighting, she saw that the only source of light came from the window over by Tommy's bed, the moon spilling light over the edge of the bed.

Spilling light over him.

He sat on the edge of the bed by the window, looking out with his hair slightly wavy and tangled like he left it to air dry. A towel rode his hips low and the shadows of his lean muscles on his back were cast on the haphazard pillows.

He hadn't move, although she was more than positive he knew she was in the room. There was a slight ripple in the air when one of them teleported, but it can only be felt if you knew what it felt like.

Kimberly took a tentative step forward, not sure what to say. The moment she did, pain ripped through her chest and tore at her insides. She could barely breathe from the intensity and how sudden it came down on her. Her stomach churning and head pounding, Kimberly tried to stay quiet and breathe through the pain. It was then she felt strange, a slight humming in her ears and a strange feeling, like the pain was muffled.

Kimberly eyes popped open at the sudden realization that the pain she felt wasn't her own, but Tommy's. It was the same humming she heard when they made love, and the muffled pain, like a pillow over emotions.

So she was right. It was the bond they shared. And apparently it was advancing.

All her fears vanished in that instant, regretting that she had not come to him sooner. She wanted to reach out to him, to ease his pain somehow, but what could she do? What could she possibly say?

Then it came to her. Kimberly took another step forward, moving closer to her love.

"I hear the voice of the Cherokee, crying out in the night," Kimberly paused at the opposite end of the bed behind him, "I hear the voice of the lone wolf answer, is this also my plight?"

Kimberly saw him turn his head towards the side, acknowledging her presence in the room for the first time. This encouraged her to go on. "On the horizon of many moons, I see the legends and hear them speak. I cry the tears of the Cherokee; they run freely down my cheek."

Kimberly climbed onto the bed and came up behind him. She pushed her arms under his and brought them up to hold him between his nape and shoulders then rested her head there. "You cannot take back what you have lost," she continued, "or what has been taken from you…"

"You can only ask the spirits to somehow see you through." Tommy concluded the rhyme of his grandfather's poem, the one he had written when his wife died and had recited over and over to help him deal with the pain of the loss. Tommy had always remembered it, and he had shared it with Kim as one of his favorites written by his Papaou.

Kimberly smoothed back the hair from his cheek with a gently palm. "Hey you."

He brought his hand up and smoothed her cheek with his index finger. "I plan on reciting it at his funeral."

Kimberly smiled weakly. "It's very beautiful."

Tommy dropped his hand from her cheek. "When has there ever been beauty in death?"

Kimberly lifted her head from his shoulder. "Tommy, I didn't mean…"

"Of course you didn't. I'm sorry." He cleared his throat and went back to staring out the window. "So what are you doing here?"

Was he serious? "I came to see you."

He just kept on staring out the window.

Kimberly sat there in the room for about half an hour without saying a word. He didn't speak to her. He didn't even look at her.

She was trying her best to keep her anger at bay but he was not making it easy. "Tommy..."

He looked over to where she was sitting on the bed behind her.

"Talk to me?"

He looked away again. "What do you want to talk about?"

Kimberly went back to him and held his hand in hers, then looked at him, eyes pleading. "I want to know how you feel."

"I feel horrible." He said in a matter of fact tone.

Kimberly was so hurt, she felt like it would have hurt a lot less had he slapped her. "Tommy, you are doing it again. You're shutting me out."

His head came around so fast he actually startled her. "Don't," He said in the most intimidating tone she ever heard him use outside the battle field, and never talking to her. It was barely a whisper, but it held a sense of menace. Velvet over steel. "My grandfather just died Kimberly, and I would very much appreciate it if you did not make this about you."

She thought she was hurt before, but she was seriously mistaking. She felt the blow of his words deep inside her heart, and wishing she had not chosen to come and see him.

She gave him a slight nod and scooted off his bed. "I'm sorry about your grandfather."

_And for coming here._

She turned around to look back at him still staring out the window. "I loved him too. You should know that."

Kimberly lifted her wrist and teleported back to her room.

As soon as her feet landed on the floor, she ran out of her heels and dashed into her bed, not caring that she was still wearing her makeup and street clothes. She hung on to the nearest pillow and curled herself into a ball around it.

And she cried.

She cried like she had never cried in her entire life, feeling her heart ripping into a thousand pieces.

* * *

_Annakie Oliver's Poem:-_ **I am the Blood left Standing** _by Marge Tinda_. _A tribute to the natives._


	6. Chapter 6

**I know. I'm sorry. I deserve your yelling. I'm in the process of moving and let me tell you, it ain't no joke. I work two jobs and then I had to squeeze in packing and moving in the little spare time I had. So sorry this took so long. **

**Once again, thank you all for reading and reviewing. I enjoy reading your thoughts and feelings towards the story, and I'm happy that I don't suck too badly (this is my first story). **

**I noticed that a few people have a few concerns about where this story is going, and I'm afraid that I cannot reassure you without spoiling it. All I can ask of you is to give it a chance and read it to the end. I assure you, I've never read any fanfiction on here with the same storyline I have planned. **

**WARNING! Reader discretion is advised for this chapter.**

**I wish I owned the power rangers; I'd have a few words to say to who ever came up with the letter storyline. But as it stands I don't, so please don't sue me**.

**Reviews are welcomed!**

_Thoughts are in italics_

_**Does this darkness have a name? How did it find us? Did it steal into our lives or did we seek it out and embrace it? When did we lose our way? Consumed by the shadows. Swallowed whole by the darkness. Does this darkness have a name? **_

_**Is it your name**__…_

_**Lucas Scott- One tree Hill**_

**Chapter 6**

Kimberly came to a sudden stop at the far end of the podium, breathing raggedly with anger bubbling vigorously in her stomach.

What nerve he had! How could he?

"Miss Elizabeth…"

Kimberly jumped. Startled. She had not expected anyone to be following her through the angry rain pouring down in Rosings this evening. The service had ended early this Sunday as a precaution to avoid the chilling down pour. It had all been in vain, however, but Kimberly couldn't stand to be in the building a second longer with that…that…

And yet, he had followed her into the rain.

Kimberly whipped around and faced him head on. She was not one to cower away from men, no matter how high in society they were.

"I have struggled in vain and I can bare it no longer. These passed months have been a torment. I came to Rosings with the single object of seeing you. I had to see you…"

Of all the things she had expected him to say, those were the last she would ever think of hearing. Confused, she intended to ask him what he meant, but was feverishly cut off by his next declaration.

"I have fought against my judgment, my family's expectations, the inferiority of your birth, my rank. I am willing to put them all aside and ask you to end my agony."

Ok, now she was confused. "I don't understand…"

"I love you."

Kimberly's mouth gaped open.

"Most ardently. Please do me the honor of accepting my hand."

Kimberly could just imagine the astounding force of the shock that must have rippled through Elizabeth Bennett to hear those words coming from such a pride filled man. But she was angry with Darcy at the moment, and that was one emotion she was sure she had no problem executing. Especially right now.

It matched the same cauldron of fire inside her.

"Sir, I appreciate the struggle you have been through and I am very sorry to have caused you pain. Believe me, it was unconsciously done." She could imagine saying those same words to another certain someone.

"Is this your reply?"

"Yes sir."

"Are you… are you laughing at me."

"No."

"Are you rejecting me?"

"I'm sure that the feelings in which, has you have told me, hindered you regard will help you in overcoming it."

Aisha and Rocky looked at each other. They were both below the stage, watching Kim's Elizabeth tear into Alec's Darcy. Aisha had read Jane Austen's book, saw many different versions of it on widescreen and plays in high school, but she had to admit, she'd never seen a better Elizabeth Bennett. Well, except for Keira Knightley's. But something seemed a bit off with Kim today.

"She seems a little angry don't you think." Rocky said.

"She's supposed to be."

"Yea, but not that angry." Rocky pointed towards the stage for emphasis.

Aisha shrugged and turned her attention back to the scene, hoping Kimberly's mood had nothing to do with her meeting with Tommy. The one she had forced her to attend.

Back on the stage, Alec didn't miss Kim's mood either, but quickly recovered with his line.

"Might I ask with so little endeavor at civility I am thus repulsed?"

"And I might as well inquire why with so evident a design of insulting me you chose to tell me that you like me against you better judgment?" The anger and "preposterosity" in Kim/Elizabeth's voice could be peeled off with bare hands and chopped up to make bread.

"No! Believe me I didn't…"

Alec/Darcy was cut off by Kimberly's elevating tantrum. "If I was uncivil then that is some excuse, but I have other reasons. You know I have!"

"Too much anger, Kimberly. Take it down a notch."

Kimberly wanted to send a blast toward Mr. Piscitelli as well, but she knew he was right. Directing her anger at undeserving people wasn't going to help anyone.

What did she expect Tommy to do? Run into her arms and poor his heart out?

Kimberly shook her head at the thought. Tommy was never one to show weakness, even when it was warranted. Not when they were in battle, and certainly not when they involved his personal feelings. She didn't know why she expected him to be different with her. Maybe she was being unreasonable. Maybe she shouldn't have pushed. Maybe he needed to be alone. Maybe she wasn't able to help him.

_Maybe I'm just not that important to him…_

"Kimberly?"

Kimberly looked over to where her instructor was standing and nodded her head, letting him know she was ready.

"Go on, Alec." Mr. Piscitelli instructed.

Alec fell back into character. "What reasons?"

Kimberly took her queue. "Do you think anything would tempt me to accept the man that has ruined, perhaps forever, the happiness of a most beloved sister?"

And as if it were on queue, Kimberly heard Rocky's communicator penetrate the silence.

She looked down to where he was sitting and saw him and Aisha running towards the back of the darkened auditorium.

"Ahem…"

Hearing Mr. Piscitelli's reprimand, Kimberly turned her attention back towards the play.

"Do you deny it Mr. Darcy? That you separated a young couple who loved each other, exposing your friend to the censure of the world for caprice and my sister to its derision for disappointed hopes, and involving them both in misery of the acutest kind?"

"I do not deny it."

Kimberly looked over Alec's shoulder to see Adam and Billy waving signals at her. She looked back and forth between her friends and instructor.

"Is something wrong Ms. Hart?"

Knowing that the whole world was probably about to end outside, Kimberly knew she had no choice.

"Yes sir. I'm afraid I have a bit of emergency, and I have to go."

Mr. Piscitelli fumed, but quickly calmed down with a sigh. "If it wasn't for the fact that you were so good at this, I would replace you for skipping out on rehearsals for your very frequent emergencies Ms Hart. But no matter, you seem to have your lines down. Go on."

"Thank you sir." With that she picked up her Victorian dress and skipped back stage towards the rest of the gang that was waiting for her in a dark corner.

"Hey pinky, wanna bet that dress can't fit under your uniform?" Rocky chuckled.

Kimberly didn't spare him a glance as she held up her wrist. "Let's go guys."

Rocky raised his eyebrows. Did Kim just opt out of a comeback?

* * *

Aisha turned away from the viewing globe and buried her face in Rocky's shoulder to keep herself from throwing up.

Rocky wasn't too far from the bucket either. "This is a joke right? Zedd can't be serious."

"I'M AFRAID NOT RANGERS. ZEDD AS UNLEASHED A FORCE ON ANGEL GROVE THE LIKES OF WHICH WE HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE." Zordon's booming voice came from behind the five rangers staring disbelievingly at the viewing globe.

"Oh I've seen this before." Adam tried humor, but nothing could put a dent into the dread creeping sneakily up his spine.

Billy swallowed hard, "We've all seen this before. But the last thing I expected was for Lord Zedd use the rampant craze that's buzzing in the media as a source for a diabolical plan."

Kimberly rolled her eyes. "Not saying this isn't serious Billy, but one monster is hardly diabolical."

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Rocky walked up to Kimberly. "If we don't find a way to stop that Romanian Escapee, Billy isn't hitting the nail too far from the head."

"RANGERS."

The rangers turned away from the viewing globe towards their mentor. It was strange how quickly they had all come to accept that there was an evil whatever Zedd was out to destroy the Earth, and that an altruistic force that now floated in front of them in a light filled oversized test tube defended the earth and its inhabitants like they were all his children.

A father.

That is what Zordon was to all them.

The tone he used was one they recognized well. It was one he used to check them often. They one thing Zordon had never forgotten about his heroes was that despite the fact that they saved the world on a regular basis, they were still humans. More so, they were…teenagers.

"I CAN COMPREHEND WHY YOU ARE ALL AGITATED ABOUT FACING THIS CREATURE, BUT I URGE YOU TO TRUST IN YOUR POWERS AND YOURSELVES, THE SAME WAY I TRUST IN YOU."

And there it was. The few sentences he uttered that gave them the courage to step into battle. The message that always stands to empower them no matter what it was that they faced.

They stood now looking up to him with courage steeling their backs and determination clearing their eyes. They were the power rangers, and they simply did not lose.

"What about Tommy, Zordon?"

"WE HAVE ALL ACKNOWLEDGED THE TERRIBLE LOSS THE WHITE RANGER HAS SUFFERED. HE WILL NOT BE DISTURBED UNLESS IT IS INCREDIBLY NECESSARY."

Kimberly tried to keep her face neutral, but the pain inside her was viciously tearing her apart. Whether it was her pain or Tommy's she didn't quite know.

"A FALLEN RANGER OUT IN THE BATTLEFIELD IS NOT ALWAYS ABLE TO CALL OUT FOR HELP, BUT YOU MUST STILL CARRY THEM."

They all looked at each other puzzled. Zordon wasn't known for parables or philosophy, and it was damn strange to hear him say what he just did, but his meaning wasn't too far out of reach by the rangers.

Alpha was still monitoring the viewing globe. "Ay yiy yiy yiy yi! Rangers, you need to get to the park! The creature has another victim!"

"ANGEL GROVE NEEDS THE POWER RANGERS. GO NOW, AND MAY THE POWER PROTECT YOU."

Rocky came forward. "Right. Let's go guys. It's Morphing time!"

"Black Ranger power!"

"Pink Ranger power!"

"Blue Ranger power!"

"Yellow Ranger power!"

"Red ranger power!"

They morphed as they sped through the air towards Angel Grove Park.

They landed a little distance away from the lake facing the city. In the distance, they could see someone standing over by a park benched, slightly bent at the waist as if clutching something to their stomach.

"Over there guys." Billy shouted. "Let's go!"

They all ran over to where the person was standing. As they approach, a pungent stench saturated the air enough to penetrate their helmets.

"Eww, what's that smell?" Kimberly wrinkled her nose inside her helmet.

"Uhh, guys." Adam interjected. "I don't thing that's a man. A matter of fact, I don't think it's human! And it definitely doesn't need our help."

From behind, the "thing's" head was slightly bobbing and was looking down at whatever it was clutching. The hair on its head was in hap hazard patches, and the long strands of hair appeared wet and jagged at the ends as if it had been ripped. The translucent skin of the scalp had huge green veins striping it across in a disheveled pattern.

"A-hem….Are we interrupting something?"

The creatures head came up at the sound of Rocky's voice, and then it turned around to face them with a wide, bloodied, jagged toothy smile.

They all gasped at the site of the vampire. His eyes where white as if he were blind, rimmed with red and varicose veins spidered out from the orbit like the rays from the sun. His had no nose, like the flesh had rotted to leave only the nostrils at the center of his face. But what held their attention was the long fangs that hung from his disturbing smile, stained with blood from his previous victims and the flesh blood that dripped from the tips.

The blood of a pregnant woman that he was still clutching to his chest.

"Oh my God!" Aisha couldn't contain her hysteria.

"Vell, Vell." The vampire licked his cracked lips and tossed the now dead woman away from him like a rag doll. "Vat have ve here?"

He turned and stood up straight to acknowledge the rangers. His tattered stained shirt was only half buttoned, and the blood from his victim ran from his chin down into the center of his chest.

"Guys, I think I'm gonna be sick." And this time Kimberly was serious.

A gleam came on in the vampires pale cold eyes. "Two vomen? Oh zis must be my lucky day! Please forgive my appearvance. I just had a splendid snack."

As he stepped forward, the blood disappeared from his skin and his clothes miraculously healed and washed itself. Now he stood with his clean white button down shirt with ruffles around the collar, down the front and around the end of his sleeves, neatly tucked into his black pants and a burgundy vest buttoned down the front of his chest. His face also transformed from a rotting translucent bullet shaped globe to a clean and very handsome man. His hair also came up to fill in the patches and was now thick and roped down his back in a long braid. This time when he smiled, his teeth were immaculately white and perfect, with his long canines retracted. The rotten smell also vanished from the air.

"Please, allow me to introduce myself." He bowed at the waist in an Old World fashion. "My name is…"

"We did not come her to have tea with you, you demon!" Rocky came forward with an attack.

"You vill learn some manners you fool!" The vampire flung his hands out towards Rocky and he went flying.

"Rocky!" Aisha screamed.

The vampire held up a finger and shook it at Aisha in reprimand. "No no mi love. You shall not care for anozer man. You vill come to me, and you vill provide me vith vat I need."

Aisha's head swam and her vision blurred. She shook her head trying to shake off the vampire's compulsion.

"I'll give you what you need alright!" Aisha ran towards him and attacked with a fly kick.

The vampire simply dematerialized. As soon as Aisha landed, he reappeared and grabbed her from behind.

"Let me go!"

He held her and took in the scent of her blood from her neck. "Not compelled I see. But not to vorry mi love. Vi can get to our vun later." He spun her in his hands and waved his hand in front of her eyes.

Aisha went limb in his hands and he allowed her to fall to the ground.

"Aisha! No!"

The rest of the Rangers came forward with their attack. But with every advance, the vampire counter attack was much more brutal. They were being handed their ass on a diamond studded silver platter.

As Adam was flung in the air for the umteenth time, Kimberly went over to where he landed to help him up. She held on to his waist and heaved only to have him fall back to the ground. His feet could no longer hold him up.

"Kim… we… we need Tommy!"

She nodded her head at Adam. "You're right." She tried to push down the anguish that those words caused, but still didn't stop her voice from cracking.

"Tommy is definitely needed."

* * *

Seven years had passed.

The farm looked nothing like he remembered. There were no animals, no crops. The vineyard that took up almost three quarters of the land space survived only in his memory. The mines were there now. Tools and equipment he had no clue what their names were scattered across the acres. Tunnel after tunnel violated the land.

It was all gone. And yet, strangely, it still felt like home.

He if closed his eyes and concentrated hard enough he could hear his grandmother humming over her stew in the kitchen. Her long gray streaked hair braided down her back and fell just below her waist, him running into the kitchen asking what time dinner would be ready, Grandpa Oliver shooing him out of the kitchen.

His heart broke at the memory. How was he supposed to deal with this? How was he suppose to get pass the terrible pain that gave him no rest?

Tommy saw the Arizona sun descending in the sky for the first time in seven years. How long had he been standing there looking through the window? And what was with him and windows these days?

Tommy turned his head to listen to the hush tones of his family members on the first floor. The sound carried through the house as most of the rooms were now empty. His grandfather had hardly ever been home these past few years, which was why Tommy had never been back since he left.

By the sounds carrying into his room, he knew most of the family had now arrived. He pause for a second, wondering what the atmosphere in the living area must be like. He hadn't seen much of his parents since last Saturday, and now with everyone else in the house….

Tommy sighed as he pushed himself away from the window. He would have to face them sooner or later, so he might as well get it over and done with.

He went down three flights of stairs and stepped of the last one that ended in the far corner of the living room. The first person he saw was his cousin, Amelia. Or was it Suri? It was hard to tell the twins apart. Whichever one of them it was passed out in the love seat nearest to the staircase. On the arm of the chair sat her twin sister with her feet under the cushion cradling her sister's head.

His parents were closer by the kitchen talking to Uncle James and his wife Sarah who seemed to have just arrived. James' suitcase was still sitting at his feet, and Sarah had baby Anayale cradled in her hand. Tommy smiled first the first time in days at his little cousin. She was adopted from Venezuela into the family about five months ago, and Tommy couldn't help but be charmed by her little pixie face, as did the rest of the family.

In the sectional at the other end of the living room sat Rachael, the twin's mother, and her husband Annakie Oliver. A fresh load of heaviness came on Tommy in such a rush he had to hold on to the rails of the stairwell. Annakie was the first born, and bore his father's name. But Tommy figured that he was named "Annakie" because his uncle was the spitting imagine of his grandfather. He spoke, walked and his entire aura was of his father. He even sported the same trademark ponytail.

"Tommy…"

Tommy was pulled from his thoughts by his Aunt Patricia sitting on the right of Annakie. She stood up when she saw him and drew the attention of her husband Marcus, who had gone to play with Anayale.

"Sorry…" Was that his voice? "I hadn't realized you were all here."

"Come on Tom." Tommy turned towards the entrance of the dining room to see his cousin Rafael standing at the doorway. If Tommy didn't know better, he would think that Rafael was his long lost brother. That he was somehow brother to the twins like Rafael was. He and Rafael looked so much alike it was disturbing. Everyone outside their family thought they were twins. The only distinctive difference between the two was that Rafael wore his hair in short spikes. "Me and the Dunn boys are in here. Come sit with us."

Tommy walked with one of his best friends into the dining hall. His other four cousins were sitting at the table playing cards. All the Dunn boys were exactly one year apart in age with the oldest of them being sixteen. It was a family joke that Aunt Patricia had wanted to have out the lot and be over with it.

They all looked at each other; none of them knew what to say. After the silence stretched out Rafael finally broke it with clearing his throat. "We know man, we all are torn up about this." He moved then to take his seat. "Come on bud," he patted the seat beside him, "none of us are talking about anything. Let's just play."

Tommy was grateful for the reprieve, but as he moved to take a seat his communicator went of.

* * *

Tommy had never seen anything like it. Zordon gave him a short briefing, but nothing would have prepared him for this. The clouds were like smoke above him with lightning arching down to the earth. It was almost too dark to see anything. The ground was covered in the same thick black smoke, sliming itself over his white boots. And in the center of it all stood a… a …

"What the hell?"

The vampire looked over to where Tommy was standing. Gone now was the illusion of immaculacy, as it now stood in his true form like it had been when feeding. Its long black smoke-like robe slimed down his shoulders and blended with the smoke on the ground, as the smell of rotten flesh poured from its pores. Pale red rimmed eyes bore into Tommy while he moved up towards him. He seemed to be gliding rather than walking, with the smoke rippling along its feet. Creepy as hell.

"Anozer one? How many of you most I endure? That scoundrel Zedd did not tell me ov ze power you all possess."

Tommy smirked inside his helmet. "Zedd isn't exactly known for his honesty."

"Vell no matter. I vill dispose ov you like ze rest ov your pathetic friendz."

"Tommy don't get so close to…"

Before Tommy could hear Rocky's warning, the vampire through out his hands.

"Ahhh!" Tommy was driven to his knees by a head spitting headache, literally. It felt like his head was about to come apart.

"Ah ya!" The rangers all came out from where they were hiding to distract the vampire and to get Tommy away from him.

After a couple seconds passed, Tommy recovered. "What the hell was that?"

"Shh..." That was Billy, or so he thought. It was too dark to differentiate the difference in the color of the uniforms. "Keep you voice down. He has a visual problem, but he is quite keen on sounds."

Well that was different. That seemed like something out of _Jurassic Park_, Not _Underworld_ or _Twilight_. Tommy realized that he and Billy was hiding behind a tree. "Why are we hiding?"

"Because we gave that…thing everything we've got!" Tommy recognized Rocky's voice. "The Zords are useless against it. It just turns into smoke and infiltrate the cockpit. And man, I don't want my chair stinking of rotten vampire guts." Rocky rubbed the back of his neck. "And Aisha…"

Tommy frowned at that. "What happened? Where's Aisha?"

Adam gestured to another huge tree a few feet from them. "She's in some kind of coma. We don't know what it did to her. He just waved his hands and she fainted."

Tommy looked over to where Aisha's figure leaned up against a tree, hiding from the vampire's presents. He felt anger raging inside his chest. His teammate was hurt and they were here cowering like children.

"This is ridiculous. There must be a way to stop him. We're the power rangers. There are six of us and only one of him. We can defeat him! So fill me in. What do we know about him?"

"Well, he's ugly and he stinks."

"Rocky be serious for two seconds!"

"I was serious! He is also a master of illusions. He duplicated himself several times just to draw us out. And when he throws his arms in the air something major always happens if you are close enough. Either he sends you flying, give you a brain aneurysm or cause an earthquake."

"He's also able to shape shift." Billy added. "But he seems to favor shadow form."

"I tire ov your gamez you pazetic humans! Come out and face me!"

They all heard his screams through the trees. "There's gotta be a way to stop him!" Rocky was getting frustrated. The longer Aisha remained in her stupor the more agitated he became.

"I think I know something we could try Rocky."

Tommy head snapped back to where Aisha was, only to realize that Kim was only inches away from her. He hadn't seen her in the darkness, especially because she didn't move or spoke. How could he have missed her? And the fact that she chose not to address him didn't do unnoticed.

"Let's hear it." Rocky cut in before Tommy could say anything to her.

"When we go near him I notice that he flinches, and he seems to always use his elbow to favor his left side."

"Kimberly, you're a genius!" Billy gave out.

Adam interjected. "I don't get it."

"How many Bee movies have you seen with Rocky?" Billy shook his head. "A stake through the heart!"

"You really think that will work?" Rocky doubted it.

"What other plans do we have?" Tommy stood up. "We have to try it."

Kimberly stood up as well. "We still have to figure out how to get near him to stake him without him splitting our brains open. My bow won't be able to shoot a big enough stake to penetrate his heart."

Tommy looked at her. "No, but it can shoot arrows long enough to at least distract him."

She gave him a nod.

Still no words, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. "Ok guys. We work as a team." Tommy looked at Rocky. "This one's for Aisha."

"Damn straight it is." For once, he was serious.

Tommy nodded at him. He took Saba from his belt and through him up into the air. Once high enough, Saba used his laser beams to burn a branch from one of the trees then returned to Tommy's hand. The tree branched crashed loudly in front of them, drawing the attention of the vampire.

"You guys take care of distractions and leave the staking up to me."

Kimberly wanted to protest, but thought better of it for two reasons. One was that he was using his leader voice, and you definitely don't want to contradict an order when he used his leader voice. The second reason however was the most profound, and the one that tore her heart out.

He wouldn't care to listen to her.

"Let's give this all we got guys. Lets go!"

"Tommy be careful!"

Tommy didn't care to know who called out to him. The vampire had to die. End of story. He dodged behind the vampire again, trusting Kimberly not to shoot him with any of the arrows. He went down to take the vampire off its feet, but his foot went right through it, like there was now real form there. He had come to realize that if he was less than arms length of the vampire, he couldn't get blasted. So he stayed as close as he possibly could, just timing the vampires swipes at him, bidding his time.

"Tommy you are too close, get away from him!"

He would not give up this opportunity. He would kill it and kill it now. If he got hurt in the process so be it. He needed the pain inside him to go away. He never want to feel ever again.

"Tommy! Tommy!"

_Perfect. _Tommy drew his hand back as soon as he saw his opening and plunged the stake straight into the vampire's heart.

The vampire let out a deafening screech that all but Tommy covered their ears.

"That's it. Die motherfucker!"

To his surprise the vampire started laughing. "Stupid human. I am already dead!"

The vampire flung his hand forward and plunged it into Tommy's chest straight through his breast plate.

Tommy gasped as the worst pain he ever felt in his life ripped through his body.

"No!" Kimberly was about to run to help him, but a searing pain ripped through her chest that threw her off her feet.

A few feet from the area where she collapsed, the vampire wrapped his fingers around Tommy's heart and then bit into his neck.

"Oh my God! No!"

Kimberly and Tommy's cries echoed across the skies.

The vampire tried to wrench Tommy's heart from his chest but was too weak to do so. With his last breath, he ripped his mouth away from Tommy's neck and whispered into his ear. "See you in hell!"

Before the rangers could reach the vampire, he disintegrated into a pile ash on the ground.

The smoke disappeared from the ground and sky, revealing Tommy writhing in pain on the ground, gasping with his last breaths.

Billy turned around to see Aisha running towards Kimberly, who was still screaming at the top of her lungs and writhing the same way Tommy was, as if in pain.

Billy looked back towards Tommy and watched as his friend took one last gasps before his eyes rolled back into his head.

* * *

"189 Billy… and something tells me that isn't so good."

Kimberly squeezed his hand tighter, trying to hold him to the earth. Trying to hold him to her. How could this be happening? A couple days ago she was in his arms. Warm, loving, sure and safe arms. She had no other place on the planet were she felt safer than when she was in his strong arms.

She paused for a second to look down on the hand she was holding. It was dusky. Cold, yet coated with a layer of sweat. Around the edges of his finger tips were a shade of blue Kimberly was sure she would despise from that moment onward. She closed her eyes to shut out the sight of it and felt a fresh stream of warm tears gush down her cheeks.

"His fever is also rising." Billy stated as he increased the flow rate on the IV pump. "I've never seen an infection spread so quickly."

Kimberly's head snapped up at the desperation and exhaustion she heard in Billy's voice. Before she could comment, she heard the machines start bellowing continuous beeps at them as the numbers started flashing red.

"His blood pressure is dropping too low. He's going to go into shock if we don't do something!" Billy ran over to the cart he kept close to the operating table.

Kimberly was in a haze. All sounds faded into the background. Billy's shouts to prepare for CPR while he broke open their emergency crash cart. The crying of the heart monitors that probed her beloved. The bustling of her teammates' boots against the hard metal floors of the command center's medical room as they rushed forward for standby CPR. The sound of Aisha sobbing and the booming of Zordon's reassurance. It all fell away from her.

She looked down at him on the table. His face was pale from the massive blood loss and covered with her tears. His lips were blue and his eyes sunken. The bandage that covered the vampire bite extended under his chin and up toward his right ear, soaked with his blood despite the sutures. The same was the bandage over his heart.

His heart.

Kimberly lifted her hand and rested it over the blood soaked bandage on his chest. She felt the irregular beating under her palm, drumming way too fast against it for it to be a good thing. 189 Aisha had said his heart rate was. And with his blood pressure dropping despite the drugs, it would only get higher. She could no longer remember why she was angry or sad or whatever the hell she was before he showed up to the fight.

_My heart…_

He was dying.

The cold reality hit her like a ton of bricks. None of her screaming for him to stay with her for the last seven hours had helped. He was slipping away from them all, right underneath her hand…literally. She wanted to scream out from the injustice of it! Her animal spirit inside had been screaming just the same for her mighty Falcon. How could this happen to him? He was the leader of the greatest protectors of mind kind. He was the reason hundreds of thousands of people still had their lives! Why was this happening to him of all people?

"He's crashing!" Billy ran for the crash paddles.

"No!" Kimberly screamed at him before Billy could yell for them to stand clear of the table.

"Kimberly, his heart rate is exponentially high and irregular, we have to get it under control or he could die!" Billy implored.

"He's not going to die."

The others looked at each other with equal concern and urgency.

"Kimberly…"

"I said no dammit!"

She didn't know where it came from, but she had a resolve in her she didn't have five seconds ago. He was going to live. She would make damn sure of it!

Kimberly pushed Billy back and hoist herself on the table and straddled Tommy.

"Kim what the hell are you doing?"

Kimberly didn't know which one of them asked her that, nor did she care. The only thing that mattered now was saving the man she loved.

She leaned over his bare chest and brushed the sweat soaked hair back from his face. "Hey Handsome. I know I've been screaming at you a lot tonight, and I'm sorry. It's just that I don't want to lose you." She paused to wipe away a fresh batch of tears. "But if you really need to go, then I guess I have no choice but to let you."

She looked back at her friends who stood with their mouths wide open, too stunned to move. She smiled at them with heaviness in her heart. How she loved them. Each of them held a special place in her heart and she just hoped that one day they could forgive her for what she was about to do.

And her mother.

Kimberly closed her eyes and looked away from them. If she didn't, she wouldn't be able to go through with it. She looked backed at Tommy's face and that was enough to set her resolve. "Go on Falcon, be free of the burden you carry. Fly, and I will fly with you. Go, and I will follow you."

As soon as she uttered the words, Kimberly heard a loud screech echo throughout the room then felt her body go limb.

"Kimberly!" Billy ran forward to see what happened to her.

They were all panicked. Kimberly had passed out right on top of Tommy, while the monitor showed Tommy had flat-lined.

"Oh my gosh… Tommy…" Adam couldn't hold in the gush of tears that spilled from his eyes.

Billy looked back at them with tears streaming down his face and eyes wide with shock.

"What's wrong with her Billy? Did she pass out from shock?"

Billy shook is head, still too stunned to speak. "She's… She's…" Billy's voice broke off into sobs as he fell to his knees.

Aisha rushed over to the table trying to wake Kimberly. Feeling her dead weight, Aisha paused as she remembered what Kimberly had said to Tommy right before she passed out.

"_Go, and I will follow you…"_

She timidly moved her hand to feel the side of Kimberly neck. Stunned, she backed away from the table shaking her head in denial.

Pulseless.

* * *

Play rehearsal scene: Pride and Prejudice (2005 movie version) [for all the hopeless romantics, you must watch this movie!


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey Guys! This is by far my favorite chapter. I had so much fun writing it, and I hope you have just as much fun reading. There are some references to Greek Mythology and Ancient Egypt. I will include footnotes for those who are not familiar with the different...err… beings mentioned. **

**I apologize that my love for the gods came through in the storyline, but I couldn't help myself. I re-watched the MMPR movie just to make sure that the source of the animal spirits wasn't mentioned. As it is, it wasn't in the movie. If it was in the series and I totally missed it, I apologize. But remember the story is AU.**

**Thank you to all who take the time out to read and review my story. I really appreciate it! More reviews are always welcomed. (esp this chapter. I really love it and want to know what you guys think.)**

**Ok that's enough, on to the story!**

_**When you stare into the darkness, sometimes it stares right back.**_

_**- Unknown**_

**Chapter 7**

The earsplitting screech seemed to be bouncing off the insides of her cerebral cortex. It was so painfully loud that Kimberly had to squeeze her eyes shout, trying desperately to block out all sensation. Inside her mind the world spun. Even the blackness behind her eyelids became too much to tolerate.

She became weak. Even weaker still.

She was free falling. No. Not freely.

Then it all stopped suddenly. The deafening screech of her crane subsided to give way to cold of nothingness. She found that she was afraid to open her eyes. Afraid to face whatever the repercussions of her action were. She was terrified of death, but knew deep down that Tommy would choose life for her, and in doing so, choose it for himself.

As soon as the thought occurred she mentally checked herself. How could she possibly know that? Was she not the one who thought he didn't care about her? And how did she know what to do to save his life? That his life hinged on hers?

_His life hinges on mine?_

What the hell was going on with her? Where did these ideas coming from?

Kimberly got lost in her thoughts, not realizing her eyes were still closed, evidence of her fear to face reality. Aware now, she braced herself, ready to face reality, or what was left of it.

She took her time to peel back her lids from her eyes, giving them enough time to adjust to her surroundings. As she slowly opened them, she noticed immediately that she was no longer in the command center, or anywhere she was similar with.

What was that above her? A bright candle? A light bulb?

Kimberly sucked her breath in as she took sight of the last thing she expected the light source above her to be.

The moon.

There in the sky it reigned as king of the night, highlighting everything that dared to fall under its sight. Kimberly could see it clearly, big and bright, swallowing a large space in the darkness of the sky, surrounded by a million sparkling stars; not a trace of cloud in sight.

She realized then she was lying on her back with something sturdy and cold against the bare skin. She leaned up and turned her head, then gasped as she took in the green towers surrounding her. She stood up carefully to take in the sight of the forest. So dense as to give way to very little of the king's light to the forest floor, the trees were the tallest she'd ever seen. They stood majestically with branches overlapping the other as if hugging each other closely. She was never one who favored high places, but she had to admit that the seat she presently occupied gave her an advantage to capture the beauty of the forest.

But how did she get there? She looked down as she caught sight of gold, and gasped at what she was wearing.

She looked down at herself to take in the shimmering gold layers that covered her legs, falling to sweep the branch she stood on. It flared out like a sea of liquid gold; she thought she might feel metal against her fingertips as she caressed the sides. Kimberly was awe- struck. Never had she seen such beautiful fabric! It was as if gold was melted to form the layers. They came up to the tight wide belt a few finger breaths above her navel, just below her breast. The belt was a molten black, with the material just as high grade as the gold was. Above the belt the gold came up to cover her breast, leaving the valley between them naked, further to wrap over her shoulders and cross at the back. There, the straps stitched to the back of her belt, forming a perfect 'X' across her back. Another slack strap came across the front atop her breast to wrap around her back to cross the 'X' at her back exactly in the middle, securing the gold fabric which covered her breast in place. Her hair was also longer now. Down below her breast it hung in beachy waves, dancing in the slight wind.

Kimberly looked up from herself to the sound of scurrying on the forest floor. It was hard to see from so high up in the trees and from the thin layer of fog that blanketed the forest floor. She saw it then, a porcupine in a fig tree dropping the figs he'd been dining on. Two female spider monkeys, drunk on fermented fruit, stared up on the porcupine. Kimberly looked up from them to stare at the twisted limbs and heavy foliage that blocked out the moonlight. She spotted a few tree frogs and lizards dotting the branches and trunks. Below limestone blocks lay half buried in debris, strewn about as if by a willful hand.

Kimberly experienced a strange sense of déjà vu. Like somehow she had seen this all before. In a dream…or… something.

Just as she hung tothe thought, a sound of footsteps resonated to her, even from so high off the ground. She looked down curiously to see who would be wondering about in late night forest, and hopefully how ever it was could help get her home.

It didn't take long to spot her company, and Kimberly almost fell from the tree, just as shocked as she was the day she saw his face on the viewing globe as the man who was the green ranger. He was walking incredibly slow, as if he was hurt. His thick muscles glistened with a layer of sweat in the moonlight even with the tight shrubbery above him. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but something was shining around his neck. She couldn't see his arms or anything from his waist down, but what held her was his eyes.

There were full of fear. Sorrow. Pain. Tormet. It was potent enough that it radiate to her in the trees, causing her to tear up. She watched him as he stayed close to the vegetation as if trying to hide himself from prying eyes.

Like prey.

Kimberly's every instinct willed her to call out it him, but something inside her warned her not to. He moved in complete silence, ignoring the monkeys and birds, padding along at a steady pace, his muscles flowing beneath his tanned skin. Curious to where he was going, Kimberly decided to follow him. No sooner as the thought occurred in her mind she found herself several trees over from the one she had just been in, but now closer to Tommy.

_How weird._

Not dwelling on it too much, she turned her attention back to Tommy. He continued to move steadily into the deeper forest, away from the light and into the interior. Darker it became and still he traveled. Kimberly wondered if he knew where he was going, and if he did, how he could have possibly known. Had he been here before? Like she felt she had?

Below, large limestone blocks appeared, half buried in the soil. The remnants of what seem to be temples of some sort lay cracked and broken, trees and vines nearly obliterating what was left of the temple. He took a sharp corner, but she was still following in the trees. She couldn't leave him if she'd wished it, his sorrow so heavy now; she needed to ease the burden. He stood still as he made his way through the ruins, as if he was somehow connected to the people who once occupied the land.

* * *

The dew started steadily but barely, making the miserable heat worse. Birds hid among the thick twisted branches, high up in the canopy in hope of relief. Tree frogs dotted the trunks and branches while lizards used leaves for umbrellas. The air remained still and stifling on the forest floor, but up above in the canopy the slight drizzle bathed the many creatures living there.

Through the drizzle and humidity, Tommy padded bare footed, silently over the vegetation and the fallen trees and through the varieties of giant lacy ferns sprouting from every conceivable crack and crevice. He didn't know how, but he knew where he was going. Pass the flowers that burst bright with color, winding up the great tree trunks, curling around limbs, alive with beauty through the various shades of green that made up the forest. Somehow, he was still able to appreciate beauty. Maybe he wasn't so dead after all.

To the river.

High above him, he felt the presence of another. An eagle maybe? It was much larger than normal, the golden wings spread wide. She moved in silence, keeping pace in the sky, winding through the labyrinth of branches with ease. Tommy hesitated, aware of the large bird traveling with him. The night was deepening fast and yet the great bird continued to trail his progress, sometimes stirring wild life. He decided to ignore the bird and follow his instincts, moving towards the river.

He moved with nobility in spite the desperate loss that pained him inside. He had thought it would stop. That somehow escaping the world would free him from his pain and hopefully reunited him with his Papaou. Now, not only did he bear the pain of his loss, but the guilt of his selfishness. He hadn't thought about how his death would have affected his parents, his aunts, uncles and cousins. He hadn't given his friends a thought.

And Kimberly…

He died knowing that he had hurt her, but was so distracted with his own pain he didn't think to apologize. He had heard her begging him to stay with her, but he wanted to go. He wanted to be free. Now the one person he would move heaven and earth for would hate him forever.

_I'm so sorry Beautiful…_

But she couldn't hear him now. And that, next the death of his grandfather, hurt him to the core.

Tommy walked most of the night until he came up to the first marker he recognized somehow: a broken remnant of an ancient temple, an impressive structure, much like the temple he saw on Phaedos. The falcon statue guarding the remains, made of limestone, seemed to snarl at him, eyes wide open and staring, judging his worth. Right now, exhausted with pain and guilt, he didn't feel too worthy. He put his head down and slunk past the statue, avoiding the staring eyes as she walked over the ancient stones and pushed deeper into the forest and towards the river.

There is was. A few miles from the temple ruins, Okeanos flowed quietly, with its nine fold stream branching off. It is said that Okeanos flowed in a circle around the entire earth. From its streams all rivers and clouds drew its waters. Beyond the Okeanos lay a dark and misty shore, where from below the walls of the great pit of Tartaros rose up to meet the earth and sky.

Tartaros…. _The Underworld_.

Tommy drew near the northern bank closest to him, looking over to the other side. He had known that his journey would end here, but how was he supposed to cross?

Overhead, the cry of the eagle sent the sleeping monkeys into a wave of howling, the sound of distress swelling through the forest, yet the noise reassured him. The bird landed in the canopy, folded its wings and peered down at him. He noticed now that it was no eagle, but a crane. She acknowledged his presence with a lift of her head, her majestic golden feathers covering her entire body, except around her neck, which was circled with black feathers. He had never seen a crane like this one, but he felt a strange companionship with it, reminding him of his Love that he had left behind.

They stared at one another a long time, neither blinking, neither giving ground. Kimberly noticed he looked at her as if he admired her and at the same time didn't recognize her. She didn't know what to say to him. She had been compelled to follow him, to protect him somehow. When she saw him move to the bank of the river, she knew somehow that it was dangerous, and was why she had called out his name to stop him. Now, she wasn't sure she should have revealed her presence. He stared at her with such sorrow in his eyes, and hunched over like his body was too heavy for his feet. She wanted to go to him, but wasn't sure he would accept her comfort.

He turned away from her then and walked a few paces to the river. Her breath caught in her throat. She knew if he went across she would never see him again. He stood there as if waited for someone.

Just then, Kimberly heard the creek of a wooden boat. She looked to see an old boat clearing the fog and moving towards the bank where Tommy was standing. She felt panic rose up, but something glued her to the branch she was standing on, instructing her to keep her position.

Tommy saw the boat stop in the water, and a man stepped forward from the fog**. **"γεράκι."

_Falcon…  
_

Tommy stood dumbstruck as he saw the man standing in the boat. He stood still with his lower half wrapped in cloth as if he were partially mummified. His skin was green all over. He held a rod in his hand that had a hook at the top, similar to a shepherd's crook. In his other hand was a hip of some sort. But what was very distinctive about the boat man was the crown on his head with two large feathers at either side, and a very distinctive beard one would be a fool not to recognize. The crown, beard and green skin identified this man as the only person it could be. But Tommy could believe it. Yes, he was adopted, but this was very far fetched, even for a teenager who controlled robotic machines combating the forces of evil on a daily basis. But with all his doubts, there was no contradicting who this was.

"Osiris?"

Kimberly gasped as Tommy confirmed was she thought was impossible. There stood in front of them the Egyptian god of the underworld. O- freaking-siris.

"Yes, well, I know who were expecting Charon, but I gave him the day off."

Tommy didn't know which was more shocking: that an Egyptian god was standing in front of him, that said Egyptian god who happens to be the god of death and the underworld had a sense humor, or that he knew Charon, who was from an entirely different pantheon!

"I'm sorry; I'm just a little confused here." Tommy shook his head. "Up until this point I knew I had to get to this river, although I am not sure how I knew that. I think I died, so are you supposed to take me across?"

Osiris peeled back black lips and smiled, "Bingo!"

Tommy scuffed at him. "You're awfully happy I'm dead."

Osiris scuffed back. "Dude, I'm the Lord of the dead remember?"

Dude. For a billion year old god, Osiris was surely up to the times. Tommy looked at the man standing in the boat. "Why you? Why not Lucifier, Charon or Hades? Honestly, I would prefer if it was Jesus."

"But Jesus doesn't have a boat! And last I checked you couldn't walk on water." Osiris wiggled his eyebrows at him.

Tommy had enough of the god's twisted humor. He sighed and turned to look back into the forest, seeing the crane still perched in the canopy. "I don't understand any of this."

Osiris became serious. "Did you not learn anything about the spirit that lives inside you? Where did you think the great power came from? Did Dulcea not tell you anything about the source?"

Tommy looked back at him with the obvious question in his eyes. "Yes," Osiris answered, "Me and warrior princess go way back." Osiris folded his arms. "Greeks, Mayans, Celtics, Romans; we all have inter-related cultures and beliefs. You know this. The animal spirits are descendants from one of each civilization." He unfolded his arms and gestured towards Tommy. "Do you even notice what you are wearing?"

Tommy wrinkled his forehead at the strange question. No, he hadn't taken the time out to admire his clothiiii…. Woooaah…

Tommy was lost for words as he looked down on himself A white fine cloth wrapped around his waist and rode low on his hips, secured by a solid gold belt about 3 centimeters thick. The belt had large stones embedded in it, Emeralds and Rubies in an alternating green and red pattern laid in two rows around its length. The white cloth ended just below his knees and he saw the he was bare footed. On his left arm were two gold bands. The first that surrounded his biceps was as thick as his belt, solid gold. The other circled his lower forearm midway between his elbow and wrist. Another gold band was on his right bicep with Emeralds and Rubies in the same pattern as his belt. Around his neck lay a flat, thick but loose solid gold collar, which sloped just below both clavicles. He had seen history books, and he knew he was dressed like an…

"Egyptian?" He asked Osiris.

Osiris smiled at him. "Not only just Egyptian γεράκι, but Pharaoh."

From where Kimberly stood, she almost fell off the branch. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Pharaoh? The falcon was Egyptian? It made her wonder which culture her spirit came from.

Tommy shook his head. "I'm Egyptian?"

Osiris laughed. "Of course not. Well, not really. You are one with your spirit, which is why you were able to claim him and why he chose you. The Falcon was the first Pharaoh of Egypt."

Tommy looked at Osiris and the man looked back at him knowingly. "Horus."

Osiris nodded with a hush of tears in his eyes. "My son."

Now wonder he gave Charon the day off. And now he felt the guilt of another life he didn't think of. The Falcon. "I'm sorry Osiris."

Osiris gave him a half smile. "Never mind. Horus has been dead for many years now. His spirit which you possessed is free to live forever. He will now choose another when the time comes."

Somehow Tommy felt a new sense of loss. But he was dead now; he would just have to come to term with that reality.

Osiris stretched the crook towards Tommy. "Who will pay for your pass?"

So this was it. He had so many things he wanted to say to so many people, but he took that away from himself by being careless with his life. Something he was sure he would pay for throughout his afterlife. "I will." Tommy walked forward to board the boat.

"NO!"

Kimberly didn't know what possessed her, but she took a leap from the branch she was standing on high in the air. She didn't care if she got hurt; all that mattered was to keep Tommy from getting into that boat. She felt herself being cradled by the wind, as if somehow she was flying down. As soon as her feet hit the ground she started running towards the boat, her dress whipping with the wind from her speed.

Tommy couldn't believe his eyes as he saw Kimberly running towards him. The crane had flown down from the branch and as soon as her feet hit the ground she transformed into his Beautiful, racing towards him in the most elegant gold dress he had ever seen in his life…or afterlife.

"Kimberly…"

She drew up short. Hearing him breathe her name like that brought up an all too familiar wringing of her heart. She didn't realized how much she had missed him till that very moment. She looked over his shoulder to see the green skin god looking at her as if he knew her.

"Hephaestus isn't here γερανός, and it is the middle of spring. No need to guard the banks of Okeanos." Osiris said sternly.

Kimberly was bewildered by what he said…at first. Suddenly a vision flashed through her head, like she was uploading someone else's memories. She saw herself as a bird, talking to a man from her perch on his shoulder; grossly built and glowing with a halo surrounding his entire body. He sat on the bank of the same river they were standing at now in the dead cold of winter. He held a weapon in his hand, hammering it like a blacksmith molding a sword. Only it wasn't a sword. It shun brightly in his hand, emitting white light like a lightning bolt. Kimberly gasped inwardly. Hephaestus? Like the greek god who lived on mount Olympus? Somehow she was his guard and guide, coaxing and comforting him, telling him to not fear Zeus and the weapons he himself made for the god king. Realization dawned on her. Her animal spirit was Greek, and apparently she served the god Hephaestus as projector and guide along his tread to the underworld.

She pulled herself from the memory, knowing what her presence now meant. She was going to save Tommy, the same way the crane did back when Zeus had tossed Hephaestus out of Olympus. "I am only here to do what I must," She looked at Tommy then back at Osiris, "I protect my own. You know this."

Osiris' eyebrows shot up? "γερανός, He is dead."

"Not yet he's not."

The god smiled at her. "Then what have you prepared to pay for his soul?"

Kimberly smiled back. "Have you no knowledge of the spirits you spoke of?" Kimberly's voice changed to the sing so voice of the γερανός. The crane.

"I do. And I know you have no place here, nor any right to his soul. You are Greek, he is Egyptian. You know the laws of the land. Once the soul reaches the Nether Realm," Osiris stretched out his hands to indicate their surroundings, "It may not leave unless it is paid for. You are Greek, not Egyptian. You cannot meet my price. For only Egyptian can barter for an Egyptian soul. Likewise Greek for Greek!"

Kimberly looked back at Tommy. "When I saw you on that table about to die I would have done anything to keep you with me." She paused and used her fingers to tuck some of his soft hair behind his ears. "But after a while, I knew somehow that I couldn't keep you from leaving, but that I had to follow you."

Tommy was confused by all of this. By the fact that he was standing in a forest about to be shipped off literally to the underworld by a god of death. By the fact that his animal spirit that lived inside him for months had been one of the greatest pharaoh that was known throughout history. By the conversation going on right in front of him about his own life, or what was left of it. But the one thing he wasn't confused about was the love he saw shining through Kimberly's eyes as she looked up at him. He wanted to turn away, knowing he was undeserving of every drop of it. But he stared back at her without saying anything, hoping that she too could see how much he loved her.

Kimberly continued, "I didn't know why, but I do now. I had to follow so you could live, so we both could, but I thought you were the one who would save us, like you've always done. With all the times you have saved my life in the passed, its finally my turn to save yours."

Kimberly leaned closer to him as if to kiss him. When he opened his mouth for her she felt the crane stiffen inside her as if trying to force something out. No sooner had the sensation pass, Kimberly felt warm, and she closed her eyes to concentrate.

"What are you doing?"

Tommy heard Osiris in the background as he saw Kimberly closed her eyes. As soon as she did, a light started glowing in her chest. It moved up to her throat and up to her neck, illuminating her entire torso in the darkness of the forest. When the light reached her mouth, she moved to Tommy with her eyes still closed and opened his mouth wider by pulling on his chin. A whispering chant sounded in the background, weaving around them like a spell. Suddenly, beams of yellow light curled out of her mouth and into his, moving suddenly to engulf the cavity. Tommy took a deep breath as he felt the warmth go down his throat, suddenly aware how cold he was. He looked down to find himself filled with light the same way Kimberly was. When she opened her eyes, he felt his body stir inside as if coming alive, the same feeling he got when they became one with the animal spirit. The warmth spread through his limbs and he came alive.

Tommy looked down on Kimberly with his heart full. How had she done that? How did she know what to do? How…how…?

There were so many questions pouring through his mind, but they all seem to dissipate when he saw the joy and relief in her eyes as she stared at him.

_My crane…_

Kimberly was sure she didn't see Tommy's lips move, but she heard his thought clearly. Telepathically. Is this what Dulcea had meant about them bonding? That they'd be able to hear each other's thoughts?

Not wanted to think too much about it. She smiled at him and thought…

_Welcome back my love…_

Yes. They could definitely hear each other's thoughts.

"Well what do you know…?" Osiris started clapping his hands. "He is yours after all."

Tommy looked at the god with a sense of loss now that the Falcon was back with him. He felt connected to Osiris somehow…

Osiris held up his hands as to stop any question that Tommy was about to ask. "You were meant to protect and lead, like a true pharaoh, Horus." Osiris looked back and forth between Tommy and Kimberly. "We've often wondered why Greece and Egypt shared such eerie similarities, and why both pantheons seem to rely on each other. Perhaps we were all one at one point. Dulcea should have warned me that your souls were bonded."

Kimberly's mouth fell open. "Our souls?"

Osiris laughed. "Now that the Falcon is far from danger, you don't seem to know too much about anything."

Kimberly didn't find it funny. "I don't know how I knew, I just did. It felt like instinct."

Tommy nodded. "It was the same for me walking through the forest."

Osiris appeared in front of them with his feet still mummified in white cloth. Where he stood the grass shriveled and died. "You knew because your spirit knows. And it is more so for you both because not only do you know about you, you also know about each other. What one knows so does the other." Osiris smiled at them. "You are two halves of the same whole. And once that bond is complete it can never be broken. Now how's that for a ball and chain!" He looked at Tommy, "and as far as your journey through the nether realm goes, that knowledge is innate. When your soul is lost the body tries to find it. This is the only place it could have been found. Between two worlds, where Tartaros meets Duat: the Greek and Egyptian underworld." He then looked at Kimberly. "And the place felt familiar to you mostly because it felt familiar to him, but also because your spirit guided Hephaestus along these banks eons ago."

Tommy and Kimberly looked at each other, both exhausted by the journey and the mental butt kicking of learning so much so quickly. But there was one more very important question left to be asked. "So are we bonded now?"

Osiris winked at Tommy, "Only time will tell."

How cryptic. "Ok. Thanks for that." Tommy scratched his eyebrow. "So, if I am not going across the river are we allowed to leave? And how do we leave?"

Osiris reached out and took Tommy's hand and placed it over his heart. He then reached over and used Kimberly's hand to cover Tommy's. "I may be the God of death, but I know a few things about life." He winked at Tommy. He then turned to Kimberly. "Beloved Crane, what do you desire most?"

Kimberly looked at him a little confused then looked at Tommy. There was no question about what she wanted most. "To go home with my Handsome."

The world went spiraling. The deafening screech came back, drowning them both in a shrill cry that forced them to squeeze their eyes shut to compensate for the overwhelming auditory sensation. But as quickly as it came it went. All that was audible now was the sound of beeping machines and a breathless sobbing in the background.

Kimberly opened her eyes first, trying to get her bearings. She lifted her head to see Aisha, still in her ranger uniform, huddled in a corner against Rocky, sobbing. Billy was sitting on the floor, knees pulled up with his elbows rested on top of them and his head hung low. Adam's back was turned to her, with his shoulder slightly shaking while Alpha handed him a tissue.

"Guys?"

All attention came to her on the OR bed at the sound of her voice. "KIMBERLY!" They raced over to her, elated she was alive.

"How...? You were dead!" Aisha said through sobs.

"I was dead?" As the words left her lips, everything came back to her. She gasped and looked at Tommy that was lying beneath her on the table. His eyes were still closed, but he was no longer pale and blue.

_Oh God, please please please…_

But still, he didn't wake.

"Kimberly, we lost him… and we thought we had lost you too." Billy came over to rest a hand on her shoulder.

She didn't believe it. It wasn't just a dream. She shook her head in denial. He wasn't dead.

She bent over to whisper in his ear, but her words were still audible to her friends. "I feel you, like I've always felt you. I know you're still here. You have to be," she paused when her voice started to break. "This world is too large, too empty, and too dark without you." She leaned up to look directly at his face. "So you wake up Tommy. Give me light back." She caressed his check with her palm. "Open your eyes, and take my breath away."

_**Beep.**_

They all turned their heads towards the sound of the monitor to see a small P wave appear on the monitor.

_**Beep.**_

Another P wave followed by a QRST.

They all looked back at Tommy, unable to believe what they just saw.

A heart beat.

Tommy gasped his first breath back to life, and the entire team except for Kimberly gasped with him in shock.

"He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Aliivvveee!" Alpha shouted in his robotic voice.

Kimberly saw his eyes snapped open, and her entire world brightened. He was looking around as if confused.

"Oh my, I can't believe this!" Aisha squealed.

"This is too awesome!" Rocky added.

"How is this even possible?" Adam wondered.

"TO THOSE WHO ARE NIJETTI, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE." Zordon explained with a smile.

"We've forgotten that one little tidbit." Billy added and walked over to Tommy. "Its good to have you back."

Tommy was still trying to find his bearings, unsure of where he was and what happened to him. "What happened?"

Kimberly reached forward to remove the blood soaked bandage from his neck and chest, his wounds underneath completely healed without a scar. "Don't you remember?"

He looked up at her and the memories flooded back to him. The vampire, the forest, the river, the Crane… "I do." He whispered softly. He reached out to caress her hair, noticing that it was still hanging longer like it was in the nether realm. "It's like that poem you always read to me."

The rest of the guys were confused by his statement, but Kimberly was all too aware of the heaviness in his stare and looked away from him. Her eyes caught the digital clock on the far right of the medical room. She scooted off Tommy. "You've been away for about 10 hours Tommy." She pointed to the clock. "Its 4 a.m. You should get back to your family before they notice you are missing."

Tommy looked over to the clock and jumped off the table. "Oh man, I gotta get going."

"Umm… You better clean up first." Adam pointed to the blood stains across his neck and chest.

Tommy looked down on himself. "Yea, thats probably a good idea."

They all smiled at him. "Its good to know your memory is still intact." Rocky teased. He sobered then came forward. "You have no idea how good it is to see you vertical man. I would have never forgiven myself…"

Tommy held up a hand to stop him. "It wasn't a favor man. We are one team. We protect each other."

Rocky nodded his head. "You saved our asses out there."

"TOMMY, YOU HAVE SHOWN EXCEPTIONAL COURAGE IN YOUR LAST BATTLE AND I MUST COMMEND YOU. BUT BE MINDFUL OF YOUR OWN LIFE AS YOU DO BATTLE WITH THE FORCES OF DARKNESS." The silent reprimand in Zordon's voice was evident, which had Tommy wondering if Zordon had a clue to his previous intentions.

"I will try not to be so caress with my life Zordon."

Zordon nodded in reply.

"You should get going bud, or your absence will be hard to explain." Aisha reminded him.

Tommy nodded and turned towards Kimberly, but before he could say anything she cut him off. "They'll be plenty of time to talk later, but right now you need to go. Your family needs you."

Tommy couldn't argue with that. "Ok." He turned back to the rest of the gang. "I'll see you all later."

Tommy took off towards the shower stalls and Kimberly's never left him until he disappeared from sight. Even then she stood staring at the spot where he had gone around the corner, with a line from the poem he had mentioned ringing in her mind's ears.

_If our two loves be one, or thou and I love so alike that none can slacken. None can die…_

Kimberly swallowed as the words riveted through her.

_Its true, isn't it?_

She gasped as she heard Tommy's voice echo in her mind. She hadn't realized that she had projected her thought to him, and apparently they didn't have to be standing in the same room to share thoughts.

"Hey Kim, are you Ok?" Aisha came over to her with concern edged in her voice.

Kim gave her a weak smile. "Yea, I'm ok."

Aisha smiled back. "How are you feeling?"

It was a good question. She was ecstatic that Tommy was alive. She didn't know what she would have done had he really died. But with everything that they learned about each other, and the new little perks of their relation ship, she felt overwhelmed, terrified, but mostly empty, and she had good feeling that the emptiness she felt was about to get worse.

She shook her head at Aisha. "I hardly know."

* * *

Tommy stood a few feet from the grave site looking at his grandfather's coffin. Amelia's skinny arms were wrapped around his waist while she sobbed against him. Tommy moved and positioned his right arm so that her head was cradled against his breast plate, giving her the comfort she was seeking. For him however, no comfort would come. But strangely he felt a new peace within him. He had finally opened up to mourn with the rest of his family the morning after he got back to Arizona, and they all spent the entire day reflecting on happy memories of Papaou, as well as making preparations for the funeral.

But every time he looked over at the casket, he felt like he was hit with a new ton of bricks. It seemed so surreal. His grandfather was one of the strongest figures in his life. His mind couldn't accept the fact that such a person could die. He looked behind him at his family: some weeping, others trying to be strong. He searched in his heart and didn't find a single drop of tear there, like even his body refused to come to terms with it.

Jan came up behind him then to unwind Amelia's arm from around his waist. "Why don't you go stand with your mother dear? She needs you."

Amelia nodded her head and ran back to where Rachel and her twin Suri were standing. After ensuring Amelia had listened to her, Jan turned to Tommy, "Look over there son," she pointed to a far away set of tomb stones.

Tommy turned his head in the direction his mother was pointing to see Rocky, Billy, Adam and Aisha walking towards him in the afternoon sun. If at anytime he felt close to tears it was now.

When they reached him Rocky came forward and hugged him. "Like you said man, we are a team."

Tommy nodded his head and hugged him back, then released him. He looked over at the rest of his friends, sincerely happy that they had come. "Thank you for coming."

"We're here for you Tommy." Aisha explained. "Kimberly would have come, but she had a tournament she couldn't get out of."

Tommy nodded. "I understand."

Their attention was brought back to the sound of the pastor's voice echoing across the cemetery. "In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our brother Annakie Oliver." Tommy felt his throat tighten when the pastor bent to pick up soil from the grave. "And we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth; ashes to ashes, dust to dust." He threw to dirt over the casket.

One by one, each son came forward and did the same. The first was Annakie, whose eyes were red from his tears. Each family member threw the dirt and said their final farewells as the casket was slowly lowered into the ground.

"Tommy?"

With his mother's prompt, Tommy came forward and picked up a hand full of dirt and went closer to the edge of the grave looking down at his grandfather's casket. He slowly lifted his hand and tossed the dirt down on it. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

"The Lord bless him and keep him, the Lord make his face to shine upon him and be gracious unto him and give him peace. Amen." The pastor concluded.

_Farewell, Aki. I love you._

Tommy stood for a long whileat the grave site until he saw the sun descending in the sky. He'd never be able to see a sunset again without thinking of his grandfather. The gang had said their goodbyes after the funeral ended, and Tommy told his parents he would meet them back at the house.

While standing there at the grave, he heard a faint sound of a guitar playing a melody that was quite familiar to him. He lifted his head and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the tune. He then heard a voice in his head he knew like he knew his own, singing to the melody a song that was written for him long ago when he lost his green ranger powers.

_Down the road we'll never know what life may have in store,_

_Winds of change will rearrange our lives more than before._

_But you'll never stand alone my friend, memories will never die,_

_In our hearts they'll live and never say goodbye._

Even from so far away she managed to know just what to say to him, just how to help him get through the pain. Tommy couldn't remember why he had chosen to shut everyone out, especially her.

And for the first time since his mom told him of his grandfather's passing, Tommy lowered his head….

And allowed the tears to fall…

* * *

_**I swear, it's the truth, and I owe it all to you…**_

Kimberly fell back unto the bottom half of her bed, winded be her last session with her copy of _Dirty Dancing. _She was trying to learn new moves to incorporate into a new routine for the squad, what with their disappointing routine today. Well, it wasn't so much that the routine had sucked, but the execution, and she was solely to be blamed. She was the center of the pyramid, and with her mind no where near Angel Grove, much more the tournament, she had resulted in a not so slight tumble of the entire pyramid. Trying to forget the verbal lashing she got from the squad, she came straight home and picked up her guitar and idly plucked at the strings. She should have just gone to the funeral; the squad would have been better off, and she would have been where she really wanted to be.

Kimberly sighed and looked over to where the guitar was leaning against the wall at one of the four corners of her room. Yes, she wanted to go to the funeral, but she wouldn't allow herself to. The greatest part of her wanted to be there for him, but the last time she reached out to him he had shut her down cold, and she knew she couldn't bare that kind of rejection from him again. It was like now that she was back in the real world, all her fears were back. And with everything that she learned about the bond she shared with Tommy, she had skidded pass fear and drove herself straight into terror.

And yet with all of her fears and dreads, she couldn't keep her mind from reaching out to him, trying desperately to lessen the crushing pain she felt as her own but knew was his. So she had played the song she and Zack had written for him when he lost his powers long ago, hoping it would give him some amount of comfort with his new loss. In her mind, she couldn't know if he accepted the gift or not, so her fear of rejection had no grounds.

Kimberly pushed herself up from the bed and went to take a quick shower, both to clean the sweat from her skin and to help relieve her turning mind. Afterwards she lay in her bed between pink satin sheets, waiting for her body to shut down and sleep to claim her. She laid there until the clock on her night stand started blinking 9:00 p.m, still unable to drift off. Just as Kimberly was about to toss the sheets back, she paused at the hint of ripple in the air around her. A few second later, a brilliant thick beam of white light came down from her ceiling, and cleared to reveal a man standing in a black suit, back turned towards her with his hair drawn back into a ponytail.

Kimberly gasped as Tommy's presence seemed to fill the room. "Tommy?"

He stood there in silence without turning around. Kimberly was torn. She wanted to say something, to go to him, but fear kept her in place. She could feel the pain radiating off his form and it killed her inside that she wasn't able to do anything to stop it. Damning her fear to hell, Kimberly was about to get off the bed, but paused as she saw him turning around. It did so slowly. Like he was either afraid to face her or ashamed of what she would see.

Kimberly gasped as she saw his face. Eyes puffy and rimmed red, cheeks flushed and soaked with his tears. She suddenly hated herself for not going to the funeral, for not being there when he needed her the most. "Oh Tommy…"

He moved so fast over to the bed, and Kimberly was right there with him, clutching his head to her bosom as he flung himself into her arms, letting the pain of the last week out all at once. She gently eased them back down on the bed, cradling him like a child, crying with him, mourning the passing of a man who was close to him, and through him, to her.

**fade out**

**Fade in**

They lay like that for what seemed like forever, both crying, then after just lying in silence. Tommy was the one who broke the silence. "I can't believe he's gone." He said with his voice muffled against her chest. "I can't believe I've lost him forever."

Kimberly smoothed back his hair as she held him tighter to her with her right leg that straddled his waist. "He is gone from this world Tommy, but you will never loose him. He has taught you to be the man you are today, and by doing so he left himself inside you. He lives through you. And with the many lives he has touched, he can never die. People like Annakie Oliver live forever." She pulled his head away from her chest to look him in his eyes. "He is immortal."

He looked at her then. Here she was, giving him the comfort no one had been able to give him, even when he had hurt her so. "I'm sorry I shut you out."

Kimberly looked away from him.

Tommy used his hand to bring her head back around to him. "You have to know how sorry I am. I don't know what came over me. I did it to my own mother. Please Kim; I was in a bad place…"

"Tommy, its ok. I know you're sorry." She moved his hand from her cheek. "I forgive you."

Tommy sighed with relief and put his head back against her chest. "What am I suppose to do now?"

"Its not going to be easy, but you must try to move on. Know that is what you grandfather would want you to do. Never forget him, but keep living."

Tommy nodded and pulled away from Kimberly to sit up on the bed. "I'm sorry for getting you wet." He pointed to her night gown.

She looked down on it and smiled. "It's ok. I'm glad you came to me tonight. I'm glad you finally let me in."

Tommy smiled at her, but it quickly faded. "Why weren't you at the funeral…the real reason?"

"Tommy, you didn't ask me to come…"

Tommy looked away from her.

As the silence stretched on, Kimberly started to feel a distance between them that wasn't there two minutes ago.

"I love you so much…"

Tommy didn't look at her. She knew he would hear it, although her voice was barely a whisper. That warned him to what was coming and he braced himself for the blow. He stood up and reached his and out toward her. "I know you do Beautiful. I love you too. You know that right?"

She took his hand and allowed him to pull her into his arms. "Yes I do."

He nodded his head and reach down to place a light soft kiss against her lips. "You will always have my heart."

Kimberly's eyes filled with fresh tears as she felt her heart breaking, but she had to do this. With all the love she had for him, she couldn't allow him to keep hurting her the way he had. Yes, she forgave him, but she couldn't be with him when she constantly feared him rejecting her if she did or said the wrong thing at the wrong time. Plus, with all the added implications that stemmed from the bond to their souls, it made her more terrified that if he hurt her again she would probably be scared permanently. She had to guard her heart, even from its owner. She lifted both her hands to caress his cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

He nodded and teleported from the room.

Kimberly stood there with her arms still in the air, eyes filled with tears. She lowered them and wrapped them around her waist as she walked back to lay on the bed.

Looking at the clock blinking 1:00 a.m, she pulled back the sheets over her legs and mourned the loss her relationship.

There were a lot of tears to be shed this week.

* * *

Footnotes

**Okeanos:** Translation- River ocean. What was written in the story is pretty accurate. (Greek myth)

**Tartaros:** The deepest part of the underworld (greek myth)

**Charon:** _The boat man._ Charon is the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. Coins are usually placed in the mouth or on the eyes of the dead to pay Charon for passage. If not, their souls wonder the banks for a hundred years. (greek myth)

**Hades:** God of the underworld. (greek myth)

**Lucifer:** Think we all know who this one is lol

**Hephaestus:** He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes. Like other mythic smiths but unlike most other gods, Hephaestus was lame, which gave him a grotesque appearance in Greek eyes. He served as the blacksmith of the gods; he made Zeus' lightning bolts. (greek myth)

**Zeus:** The Father of Gods (or king of the gods) and men who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He is the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology.

Osiris: identified as the god of the Afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is also a god of the earth and vegetation. Osiris symbolized in his death the yearly drought and in his miraculous rebirth the periodic flooding of the Nile and the growth of grain. He was a god-king who was believed to have given Egypt civilization. He is the father of Horus. (Ancient Egypt).

**Horus:** Man… too much about Horus, but in a nutshell, the name Horus is synonymous with Flacon and Pharaoh. He is the god of the sky, god of war and hunting and of light. He is thought to have the head of the Falcon. (Egyptian Myth).

**Duat:** The realm of the god Osiris and the residence of other gods and supernatural beings. The underworld and place of rebirth. (Egyptian myth)

**Falcon:** (see Horus) This bird was the perfect symbol for the Egyptian god of the sky, light and goodness (Horus) who soared above and protected the land of the Pharaohs. It was believed that each Pharaoh became Horus on Earth and was reborn as Horus after their death. In a battle which lasted 80 years, Horus conquered Seth, the god of Upper Egypt, to revenge the murder of his father, Osiris. (Egyptian myth)

**Crane:**The crane was the bird of Hephaestus, associated with the god from his time dwelling on the banks of the River Okeanos, where the bird migrated to in the winter.

Source—the internet lol


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